Kaleidoscope
by drumbjo
Summary: AH - Sookie left Louisiana seven years ago after she and Eric came to a natural end and decided to split. However, with Gran's worsening health Sookie makes a return, but all is different now and nothing is as it was before.
1. Chapter 1

**So, this is the prologue to my new story. This is AH and may be a little angsty in places, but then it is me, so that's to be expected.**

**I hope you enjoy.  
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><p><strong>Kaleidoscope – Prologue<strong>

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><p>Have you ever been in that relationship that at times felt so easy you thought something must be wrong?<p>

Have you ever walked away from someone and not realised how big a mistake you'd made until you had left?

Have you ever been fearful of returning home knowing that everything has changed?

.

Eric and I had known each other forever, but it wasn't until we were seventeen that we started any kind of relationship. That's not to say we weren't attracted to each other before that, as once we were together we both admitted we had been. However, at just seventeen years of age, and after – seemingly – years of dancing around each other we started dating.

We'd both had relationships before – as much as teenagers can – although neither one of us had taken that final step. We were therefore each other's firsts. My Gran and his parents had been thrilled that we got together, and admitted that they'd always imagined we'd end up together.

Of course, at the time we agreed that we would be together forever. We both went off to Tulane University – him to study law and me to major in English Literature – and after four years away where we outlasted most other on-campus relationships, we moved into an apartment together in Shreveport.

Looking back, this was probably where things started to go wrong.

Eric got himself an apprenticeship working for Cataliades and Company, and I became a junior journalist at the Shreveport Times. We were both ambitious, and both worked all hours to further our careers. In the end, we were ghosts passing in the night. There would be days when we didn't speak to each other, but it wasn't through malice, it was simply that we hardly saw each other. One of us would be working mornings, the other one nights. We'd both also work weekends, or go and visit our families in Bon Temps. It meant that we had very little time for ourselves.

We also disagreed on some fundamental factors. I'd always had dreams of moving to the big city, with New York being top of my list. But Eric never wanted to leave Louisiana; he wanted to stay close to his roots.

It was in the September nearly seven years ago that we eventually sat down together and talked things through. I think by then we'd both realised that something was seriously wrong with our relationship, and it had been Eric to make the call for us both to take some time out and talk. I knew that it was long overdue, and I was sure that he did as well.

We hadn't made time for us, and our relationship had suffered because of it. That's not to say things weren't great at times, as they really were, but getting us in one room at the same time when neither one of us was completely exhausted was difficult. In the end, it was me that suggested we went our separate ways, and Eric didn't disagree with me.

If I was honest, I was being a little selfish, as I'd been speaking to a friend from college who was now living in New York and had made promises of getting me work if I ever made in New York. It was what I'd always dreamed of, and Eric was the only real reason that I was still in Louisiana. Sure, I loved my Gran and younger brother Jason dearly, but Gran knew I always wanted something more, and had always been supportive of my dreams.

It was certainly painful leaving Eric and tears were shed from both of us. But we had really talked things through, and we both agreed that maybe we had come to a natural end. I ended up calling my friend Russell in New York, who arranged for an interview for me and introduced me to a friend of his who was looking for a roommate. I stayed with Eric until I left for New York, but in that time we were more friends than lovers.

We'd made promises of keeping in touch – phone numbers and email addresses were to be kept updated, and I had given him my address in New York. But neither of us seemingly made the effort.

It was six months later that I realised my mistake. I'd missed Eric almost straight away, but I had put it down to being homesick. However it was more than that, and before I really realised what I was doing I was booking a flight back to Shreveport.

I'd gone back to the apartment we'd shared, but he wasn't in. As it was a Saturday evening I went to Bon Temps to his family home, hoping he'd be there as we had often done. But when I arrived I only found his twenty-year-old sister Pam. She told me that Eric was doing well and that he was enjoying his life as a bachelor. I knew there was nothing malicious behind Pam's words, and she'd informed me that he was out with friends at a club in Shreveport.

So, probably stupidly, I drove back to Shreveport to see him. When I entered the club I saw him straight away. He was surrounded by a gaggle of women who were hanging off his every word, and I realised then and there that Eric had moved on with his life. He was always a good-looking man, so it wasn't too much of a surprise that him being single and on the market would be popular with the female population of Shreveport.

I didn't let him see me, and instead spent one miserable night in a hotel with my tail between my legs before returning back to New York. I'd asked Pam not to tell Eric that I'd been back, and by the fact that Eric never contacted me I assumed that she'd kept her secret. Either that or he wasn't concerned that I'd come back. I'd always preferred option one.

But I didn't allow this to get me down. Instead I decided to enjoy my own singledom, and certainly enjoyed the nightlife and bars of New York City. I'd settled into a great job that I loved, and although I didn't see my family as often as I'd like to, I was hugely happy.

After two years of being in the city I met Bill Compton. He was older than me, thirty-eight to my twenty-six, but we hit it off straight away. He was also from Louisiana and presented me with a little bit of home away from home. He worked as a Professor of History at Columbia University where he specialised in the civil war and the history of the South. I ended up moving in with him after only six months of dating.

I had to admit that I was happy with him, and I pretty much forgot about Eric. I didn't return to Louisiana often, and when I did it was split between seeing Gran and Jason, or Bill's family who lived close to Baton Rouge. It meant that I didn't see Eric at all in the years I'd been away from my home state. That didn't mean I hadn't heard anything of him, as he'd stayed in contact with my Gran and younger brother, so when he found himself a serious girlfriend I heard about it.

The one thing I regretted was that I couldn't be there for him when his parents died in a light aircraft crash. At the time I'd been in remote Australia with Bill, and by the time I got to check my messages the funeral was about to take place and I was unable to get a flight that would get me back to Bon Temps in time. Instead, using Interflora, I sent a note and a large bunch of Calla Lilies to him, knowing they'd always been a favourite of his mom's.

But now I was back in Louisiana.

Bill and I had split six months earlier having realised that we wanted different things from life. I suppose I always knew that the age gap would eventually cause us a problem, and with Bill in his early forties we wanted very different things from life. Our break-up was mutual, and a lot easier than my 'mutual' break-up with Eric had been. We continued to see each other as friends in the months that followed, and I was one of the first people to meet his new girlfriend Judith. She was the same age as him and had two grown-up children from a previous marriage. They were great together and I was happy for him.

But being back in Louisiana was hard for me.

Jason had finally gotten his ass kicked into shape by the army, and in the April, a few months previous, he'd gone off to the Middle East on a tour of duty that wouldn't last less than eighteen months. I couldn't deny that it was what he needed as he'd spent far too long drifting, but the timing couldn't have been worse considering Gran had a massive stroke only two months later.

My Gran had pretty much raised Jason and me, as we'd both been staying with her when our parents died in a flash flood one stormy November night. I'd only been seven years old, but Jason was just a babe in arms so has no memory of our parents. Gran, however, was brilliant to us. She took us in and raised us as her own despite the obvious heartbreak she must have had at losing her only son and daughter-in-law.

So when I had that phone call to tell me that she was unable to live by herself, I knew what I had to do. It pained me to quit my job as an Arts writer with the New York Times as it was the job I had always wanted, but they promised me work on a freelance basis, and I hoped that my editor would honour that agreement. Since splitting with Bill, I'd moved in with my friend Amelia, who had split with her boyfriend Bob around the same time. Luckily for me, she was from money so promised not to rent my room out should I need to come back, something I was grateful for.

The doctors had told me that despite extensive rehab following her stroke, my Gran was suffering from severe right-sided weakness – or hemiparesis – and was having difficulty with communicating at times. They had warned me she'd also had a personality change, and could be quite angry at times. I knew that I probably could have paid to have her looked after as an in-patient, or had a live-in carer for her, but considering the way she had looked after Jason and I, it wasn't something I seriously considered.

Instead, I made the move back to Louisiana. I was still planning to write, and I was glad that I'd had that high-speed internet cable installed for Gran so we could chat on Skype, but I intended to be the one to mainly look after her. She would still need regular specialist assistance, but then she also needed someone to drive her to her appointments since she was no longer allowed to drive.

The change in Gran had been quite shocking when I went to pick her up. She'd always been so loving and affectionate, but now she was bitter and angry, snapping at me when I did the slightest thing wrong, or struggling to remember things. One of the nurses explained to me that her change was a common side effect of a stroke, and that I had to be patient with her, but it was hard to see and difficult to not take it personally.

When I got Gran back to her farmhouse, I suddenly realised that the house was not good for disabled access, and it was a lot of effort to get her inside the house. She insisted on being taken to her bedroom, and ordered me away, telling me that I wasn't needed.

So that's why I'm here now sitting on the small hill between the Northman and Stackhouse properties. When Eric and I first started dating we used to meet up here in the treeline, and even as adults we'd always enjoyed walking to this spot.

I could see that Eric had made quite a few changes to his childhood home. It looked more modern, and there was a swimming pool in the backyard that hadn't been there before. I knew that it was wrong to spy on him, but I wanted to see him before I ran into him and his girlfriend together.

As I sat there watching, I noticed movement and out strode Eric, his arm wrapped around the tall brunette I presumed to be Isabel. I watched him wrap his arms around her then kiss her cheek before she climbed into a large black car, which was parked in the driveway. They spoke for probably a minute, him leaning down and resting on the open window before she drove off.

I hadn't planned on seeing Eric straight away, but as I knew he was alone it seemed the ideal opportunity. I watched Eric walk back into his house before running back to mine and climbing into my Audi.

I was going to see Eric Northman for the first time in nearly seven years, and I was suddenly very nervous.

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><p><strong>Thoughts? Comments?<strong>

**The next, full, chapter should be up within a few days, and I plan on posting once a week, more if I'm able to, and most likely on a Sunday night.**

**I don't envisage this story being too long, but things may change.**

**Thanks for reading.  
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	2. Chapter 2

**Well, I wasn't going to post tonight, but why the heck not.**

**Thanks to everyone who has taken the time to read the prologue, and special thanks to those who have reviewed, alerted and favourited (if that's a word!).**

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><p>I didn't stop to think until I had actually pulled up outside of Eric's house. I took a moment and realised this probably wasn't the best way to approach him. Maybe I should have called first and asked whether it was okay to come over. But before I had the chance to make a hasty exit, Eric had come out of the house, obviously having heard the sound of my car on the newly laid gravel driveway.<p>

He stopped dead in his tracks when he saw my car parked in the drive. I assumed he probably thought Isabel had returned early, or forgotten something, but when he saw it was me, he simply stood on the veranda and stared.

Realising there was no chance of backing out now; I turned off the car and climbed out. I gave Eric a small smile and silly half-wave, but remained where I was standing. If he didn't want me there, I didn't want to make a big thing of approaching him.

"Sookie?" it was Eric that broke the silence, and he came down the wooden steps of the decking, approaching my car.

"Hey, Eric." I tried to keep my voice light, but I wasn't sure that I managed it.

I took the time to really look at him. And he looked damned good. His hair was a little longer then when I'd last seen him, but still shorter than how he wore it when we were at college. He'd also filled out a little, as evidenced by his broad chest and strongly muscled arms. He had a healthy tan and was casually dressed in a pair of well-fitting denim jeans and dark grey t-shirt.

"I wondered if you might be back. How's Gran?" I loved that he still called her Gran rather than Adele.

I sighed. "Not so good. She's angry and frustrated that she can't do things. She pretty much kicked me out of the house earlier."

"I'm sorry to hear that."

"It couldn't be helped. It's just really shitty timing with Jason being away. I know he's concerned about her."

"You're back to stay then?" he was giving me a querying look.

"Yes. I can hardly abandon her after all she did for Jason and me."

There was a moment of awkward silence between us. I could feel Eric's eyes on me and I wished I knew what he was thinking; what his opinions were of me turning up like this. We had so much history together, but we'd been apart for as long as we'd been together and both had taken very different paths in life. It seemed strange that they had intertwined once more and I couldn't help but wonder what would happen next. Were we able to be just friends, or would we end up ignoring each other.

"Do you want to come in for a coffee?" Eric finally asked.

I smiled. "Sure."

I took a few steps in his direction before he turned and led me into the house, holding the door open for me as I entered. It was a house I had known so well when we dated, but like with the backyard, he'd obviously spent some money on renovating it, as the interior was beautifully done in a much more modern than it had been before.

"The place looks good."

"Thanks. I've spent the last few years doing it up. I have a couple of friends in the construction industry that have helped me, but I've done must of the work myself."

"You always were good with your hands," I commented before realising what I had said and felt myself go a bright shade of pink.

Eric laughed and gave me that smirk I remembered so well. "Same old Sookie, such a dirty mind." He winked at me. "It's good to see you, Sook."

He pulled me into a friendly hug, but I couldn't help but take a moment to breathe in his familiar scent. He was all man.

"You just missed Isabel," he commented as he let me go and headed into the kitchen. I followed him, and tried not to stare at his ass.

"I know," I admitted, leaning against one of the counters. He gave me a querying look. "I was walking up at the treeline when I saw you both come out of the house. I just wanted to come over and say hi. I hope you don't mind."

He was quiet for probably a beat too long before responding. "No, of course not. As I said, it's good to see you."

"And you."

"Milk and sugar?" he asked as he poured the coffee.

"No, just black is good." My tastes in coffee had changed since I'd last seen him. He handed me the mug before pouring a good slug of milk and enough sugar to choke a donkey into his cup. "Still have that sweet tooth then," I teased. I'd always told him he added too much sugar to his coffee, but he'd always ignored me.

"You sound like Izzy; she's always telling me off for adding too much sugar." He had a smile on his face as he spoke of his girlfriend, but I couldn't help but feel offended considering I'd been the first one to say that.

"I'm sure she's just trying to save you those dental bills."

I smiled at him, and he rolled his eyes. He led me into the living room, which has also been considerably updated and I took the time to look around at some of the photographs on the mantle and wall.

"I'm sorry I wasn't here for your parents' funeral," I said earnestly, turning to face him.

"I didn't expect you to come back from Australia."

"I would have if I could have gotten a flight. They were always great to me." Eric sank down onto the sofa.

"They were always fond of you as well. And thanks for the flowers and your note. It meant a lot to Pam and I."

"As I said, I wish I could have been here."

I remained standing and looked at some of the other photographs until my eyes stopped on one of Eric holding a little boy who looked around two or three years old. I put my coffee cup down for fear of dropping it and picked up the picture. The little boy was beautiful and looked so much like Eric, with his blond hair and blue eyes. I didn't quite understand why no one had told me that Eric had a son.

"How old is he?" I asked, turning to Eric with the picture in my hand. I could hear the shake in my voice.

"He was three in January." He patted the sofa next to him. I picked up my coffee back up but kept the picture in my hand, sitting a respectful distance from him on the leather three-seater.

"I didn't know…" Eric cut me off before I could say any more.

"He's not mine."

"What?"

"Ethan. He's not mine." He smiled. "Would you believe me if I told you he was Pam's?"

"No!" I snorted.

He laughed. "It's the truth. And she's expecting another."

"We are talking about the same Pam here, aren't we?"

"If you mean my irresponsible little sister, then yes."

Pam was four and a half years younger than Eric and I, and had always been the rebel of the family. She was only sixteen years old when she announced to her family over Sunday lunch one day that she was a lesbian, and proceeded to flirt with almost every girl she could. Her parents, being of Swedish decent, were fairly liberal and didn't impose any prejudices on her – something that seemed to make her go off the rails further.

"Wow. Is she married?"

"Yeap. She met Stan in her final year Brown University, and, strangely, they hit it off." He laughed to himself. "Imagine the type of man you would expect Pam to end up with." I did just that, and came up with someone that looked very similar to Eric. She'd always preferred women, but she could appreciate a good-looking man as well. "Got it?" I nodded. "Now describe the opposite."

"Short, dark-haired, skinny, glasses." Eric had a huge smile on his face. "Am I close?"

"You have him spot on. But Stan's a good guy, and he's perfect for her. He doesn't put up with any of her bullshit, and he's a great father to Ethan." He indicated to the picture still being tightly clasped in my hands. "I have to admit that none of us thought it would last, but she's proved us all wrong so far."

"Sounds typical of Pam," I commented.

"You're telling me."

There was a moment or two of silence again as I drank my coffee. Suddenly a thought struck me. "Eric, you mentioned you had a friend in the construction industry?"

He nodded. "Yes, Alcide, he runs his own business. I've known him about five years or so. Why?"

"I need some work doing on Gran's house as it really isn't that wheelchair accessible. Do you think he'd be able to help?"

"I don't see why not." He paused for a moment before continuing. "Look, a bunch of us all normally meet up on a Saturday night at Merlotte's for a few beers – why don't you join us tonight? I know that Pam would like to see you, and I'd like you to meet Isabel. I'll give Alcide a call and he can come as well."

I wasn't sure that I was ready to meet Isabel, but I could hardly refuse. "Sure, it sounds good. What time?"

"Say … eight?"

"I'll see you there." I stood up after and picked up my empty coffee cup and walked to the kitchen. It was all so familiar being in this house with Eric that I forgot that I hadn't been there in seven years.

"Still so domesticated," he commented as he watched me wash up my mug and leave it to dry. He was still drinking his, so I didn't offer to wash it up.

"Some things never change." Our eyes were locked on each other's for a moment, before I snapped out of it and looked down at my hands. "I'd best be going. I'll see you tonight?"

"Sure."

He moved out of my way so I could pass, and I climbed into my car without saying anything else and drove back to Gran's farmhouse, checking on her quickly before going into my room and lying face down of the double bed.

Seeing Eric had been every bit as hard as I thought it would be. I had been dreading coming back to some extent, and had spent hours talking with Amelia about it. I couldn't say that I hadn't been happy in New York, as I had been. But I knew that coming back to Louisiana would be difficult, and I wasn't wrong.

But Eric had a girlfriend now, and I wasn't going to even think about going there. Not that he'd do anything either, as I knew he wasn't one to cheat. Still, that didn't make things any simpler. I decided I needed to speak to my friend for some advice, and I called Amelia and told her what had happened.

"_So you're going tonight then?"_ she asked me.

"Yes. It's probably best to get it over and done with."

"_What do you think she'll be like?"_

"Not a clue."

"_She might be nice."_

"She probably will be," I said with resignation. "But it would be easier if she I could hate her."

"_Sookie, you're a decent human being. Give her a chance. And anyway, if you turn up and bitch at her it really isn't going to go down well with Eric is it?"_

"True."

"_Any other hot men around?"_

I laughed. "In Bon Temps? Seriously? Believe me when I say that Eric really was the only looker of the bunch. Sam's sweet – he owns the bar – and a few others were okay, but none came close to Eric's standard."

"_So? Lower your standards a little."_

"You think I should try to make Eric jealous?"

"_You don't even know if he will be jealous. He has a girlfriend, remember. But if there's one way to stop thinking about him, it's to be thinking about someone else." _She had a point.

I heard my Gran calling to me from her room, and I quickly said goodbye to Amelia and went to help her. She'd tried to go to the bathroom, but had knocked into her chest of drawers on the way back and knocked her box of jewellery off the top.

"Pick them up," she snapped at me. "Quickly. And you can't have them. I'm saving them for a great-grandchild, not that you're going doing anything about that. Where's Bill?"

I hastily collected all the necklaces, broaches, rings and earrings back into the box and placed it back on top of her dresser. "We split up, Gran. That was six months' ago."

"I liked that boy. Why did he leave you?"

I gritted my teeth at her accusatory tone. "We just split up, Gran. We wanted different things."

"I'm sure it was your fault."

I couldn't help the tears that were springing to my eyes. "Do you need anything, Gran? Are you hungry?"

"Yes."

"What would you like?"

"Anything. I don't care." She'd turned away from me and was staring at the TV screen.

I decided not to say anymore and I left her alone. The nurses had told me to expect mood swings from her, and I understood that she'd be frustrated, but I hadn't expected this. I spent some time cooking a chicken and shrimp jambalaya – a dish that had always been one of my Gran's favourites, and took her a bowl. This time she was much more receptive to me, thanking me for my time, and telling me she didn't mind me going out. I told her to call me if she needed anything at all.

I took a shower and changed into one of my favourite dresses that I'd picked up from Bloomingdale's. It was a beige and black shirtdress, and I paired it with my suede sandals and a simple black belt around my waist. I was aware that I probably looked like a fish out of water, as since living in New York I'd certainly developed a sense of style that I never had before. I left my hair loose around my shoulders to make the look a little more casual, and at five to eight, I left home for the short drive to Merlotte's.

The parking lot was already fairly busy when I arrived, and I took a moment to compose myself before I climbed out of my car. Merlotte's was exactly how I remembered it. I had only been to the bar once since moving away, and that had been a year or so after I'd left, but it looked exactly the same.

"Sookie!" I heard a female voice yell at me, and I looked over to the bar to see a pregnant Pam sat on one of the bar stools. I smiled and walked over to her. "Well, look what's turned up here! Looking good, Sookie. And love the dress."

"Thanks." I gave her a hug, my eyes fixed on her baby bump. "I can't believe your married with a son and one on the way!"

She didn't look surprised, so I assumed that she'd spoken to Eric. "You know me, I never like to do the obvious." She patted a man on the back, who turned his attention away from the bar and onto Pam. "Sook, I'd like you to meet my husband, Stan. Stan, this is the elusive Sookie Stackhouse."

Stan stuck out a hand for me to shake, which I did. He was just as I had described to Eric, and the polar opposite of what I'd expect. Yet alone the fact that he was a male in the first place. "Nice to meet you Sookie, I've heard a lot about you."

"I'm not that bad, I promise," I said with a laugh.

"No, it's all good." He wrapped his arm around his wife.

"So how's Gran?" Pam asked.

I sighed. "Not too good. She has these really nasty mood swings, and she's struggling with her mobility. Really, she needs to be in a wheelchair when outside, but she really doesn't like that. She's always been so independent that I think this is really frustrating her."

"That's understandable." She paused for a moment, looking to the door before looking back at me. "Eric told me you went to see him today."

"Yeah … I wanted to speak to him alone instead of just running into him."

"All okay?"

"Yeah, it was." In truth it could have been a lot worse.

"You know, I never told him that you came back." I knew what she was referring to.

"I asked you not to, so thank you."

She narrowed her eyes. "Sometimes I think I should of. I know he missed you."

That was tough to hear. "It doesn't matter now. We've both moved on with our lives."

"Yeah, the last thing I heard you were dating some old professor."

"He's not that old. He's twelve years older than me."

"Meaning that when he was twenty, you were eight. That's just sick."

"Maybe, but I wasn't dating him when I was eight years old."

"You still with him?" I noticed that she looked over my shoulder to the entrance to the bar.

"No. We split around six months ago. I guess we wanted different things."

"You mean you didn't want to be pushing him around in a wheelchair and cleaning his false teeth?"

"Pam."

"What? He's an old man, you deserve better." I felt a presence a little behind me, and I knew that it was Eric. I tried desperately to keep my breathing under control.

"Who's an old man?" he asked, butting into our conversation.

"Sookie's now ex-boyfriend. Although I guess _boy-_friend is pushing it. More like _grandpa_-friend." I gave Pam a hard look but she ignored me.

"Sookie!" another voice shouted, and I turned to the bar to see Sam Merlotte grinning at me. "What can I get you?"

"Hey Sam, I'll have a beer please."

"Coming right up."

But rather than pass the beer to me over the bar, he came around and handed it to me by means to hug. I had to admit to feeling a little awkward considering Eric was stood right next to me, but I knew that in reality there was nothing to feel awkward about. The only problem was that I knew that Sam had always liked me, even when I was with Eric, and it was something that my ex had never appreciated.

"Good to see you, Sam," I said taking a step back away from him.

"And you, Sook. You look real great."

"Thanks …" I trailed off and looked to Pam for some help. Sam had always been a little over enthusiastic when it came to me, but it was Eric that came to my rescue.

"Sookie, I'd like to introduce you to Isabel."

I looked over to where Eric was standing and to the tall, attractive brunette next to him. She had long, straight medium brown hair, with friendly green eyes and a warm smile on her face. And she looked gorgeous in her pale green and white summer dress. They seemed to be a great couple, and I couldn't help but notice that Eric's arm was wrapped tightly around her waist, while hers was in the back pocket of his jeans.

I stuck a smile on my face and held out a hand to her, which she took warmly. "It's nice to meet you Isabel, I've heard a lot about you." She looked a little confused. "My Gran's mentioned you quite a few times; I think she's quite taken with you." It was the truth that Gran was fond of Isabel and told me on many an occasion that her and Eric were good together. Needless to say, I knew that she was doing it to rile me as she always said that I'd made a mistake in leaving Eric.

"Please, call me Izzy. And I'm fond of your Gran as well. How is she?"

I went on to explain how Gran was, telling them about the incident earlier on. All promised that they'd pop into see her, and I didn't doubt that they'd do anything less as my Gran had always been a popular lady in Bon Temps.

I had to admit that after an hour or so of sitting with Eric and Isabel – or Izzy as she insisted on being called – I was ready to leave. It wasn't that I didn't like her, as she really did seem to be great, but the more time I spent with Eric, the more I realised what an idiot I'd been for not pushing for us to work out our troubles.

And I couldn't help but feel jealous at how happy he was with her now. Sure, I'd been happy with Bill and I was sure if the situation was reversed Eric may feel the same. But I couldn't help but notice how close Eric and Isabel were to each other and I couldn't not notice that he constantly had his hands over her, or was kissing her cheek.

Well, until tall, dark and handsome walked into the room anyway.

He walked straight up to our table and slapped Eric on the shoulder, before leaving again and heading to the bar to get a beer.

"Drooling much?" Pam whispered into my ear.

I nudged her to get her to be quiet, but I noticed Eric looking over with a curious expression on his face. The man came back over, and everyone scooted over so that he could sit next to Eric on the opposite side of the table. His eyes met mine, and I noticed that he was checking me out.

"Who's this gorgeous lady?" he asked Eric without taking his eyes off me. He had a deep, manly voice that almost seemed like a growl.

I noticed Eric's face harden briefly. "Alcide, this is Sookie. Sook, this is Alcide – he's the one who may be able to help you with some work at your Gran's place."

"Ah, so you're the damsel in distress that needs some work done on her house?" he was smiling, his green eyes dancing with humour.

"Something like that! It's nice to meet you Alcide. And I'd certainly appreciate any help you could give me."

"I'm free tomorrow, why I don't I pop over. I'm assuming you need this doing sooner rather than later?"

"You'd be right there."

"What do you say to midday?"

"Sounds good."

"So how do you know this lot?" he asked me, nodding in the direction of the others. Obviously Eric hadn't given him all the details.

"I used to live here," I said, leaving it at that. Or hoping to, anyway.

"So what … you knew these guys growing up?"

"Yeah …"

"It's just I've never heard your name mentioned before, and I've met most of the others that Eric and Pam grew up with." I really wanted to world to swallow me up.

I simply shrugged, trying to keep the smile on my face. "I've been in New York for the past seven years."

"Okay." There was a decidedly awkward silence at the table, and I didn't dare look at Eric. "Is there something I'm missing?"

"Sookie and I used to date," Eric eventually said, and I turned to look at him. "We split up, and she left to go to New York."

"Right. Sorry, I didn't mean to make things awkward."

"It's not," I lied. I did my best to smile at Eric and Isabel, who was closely watching our interaction. The truth was that I wanted nothing more than to leave, but I was aware what that would look like, so remained put.

We were luckily all distracted by Sam coming back up to us and shoving me along the bench to sit next to me. "Have you spoken to Jason recently?"

"No, but I've had a few emails from him. He's doing good, though I know he wishes he could be here for Gran. No one really thought this would happen."

After Sam's intrusion, the atmosphere relaxed and we all enjoyed the rest of the evening. I joined in with their conversations, and they all told me about some of the things that everyone had been up to since I left home. For the most part I didn't really discuss my life in New York, and Eric and Isabel's relationship wasn't mentioned much either. But I couldn't say that I didn't enjoy myself, and it did get easier being around Eric and his girlfriend.

At the end of the night when the bar was kicking out we all went our separate ways, Alcide reiterating his promise to come and see me the next day, and I said my goodbyes to Eric, Isabel, Pam and Stan. When I got home I checked on Gran to see that she was safely tucked up in bed, and I sent a rather lengthy email to Amelia letting her know the goings on of the evening.

I was exhausted by the time I got to sleep, so when my alarm went off at seven the next morning, I wasn't doing too good. However Gran needed my assistance with getting showered and dressed, and I was happy that she seemed in a more receptive mood. I made us both breakfast and told her that Alcide was coming over to look into some changes to the house to make things easier for her. She even surprised me by telling me that some of her friends were going to pop by later on in the afternoon, and she finally seemed more like the Gran I had known and loved.

At precisely midday Alcide's truck came up the drive, and I got up off the porch swing to meet him. I couldn't deny that he was a good looking man, with curly black messy hair, a handsome face and gorgeous green eyes. He was as tall as Eric was and probably even more muscled from his more manual occupation.

"Hey, Sook," he greeted as if we'd known each other forever. He pulled me into a hug, which I reciprocated. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm good."

"Look, I'm sorry if I made things a little awkward last night. It wasn't intentional. It was just that Eric had never mentioned you before. How long were you together?"

"Seven years. We started dating when we were seventeen."

"Wow. That's quite a relationship to forget to mention."

I didn't quite know what to make of the fact that Alcide didn't know about me. It seemed that Eric and Alcide were pretty good friends, so it surprised me in some ways. But then men (generally) weren't as gossipy as women were and I doubted they openly discussed former relationships. Still, Alcide seemed surprised that Eric hadn't mentioned me.

"Why would he?" I replied as nonchalantly as possible. "It was a mutual break-up and we went our separate ways."

"You're only back because of your Gran?"

"Yes, I had a good job and great friends in New York. But my Gran pretty much raised my brother and me, so I couldn't just leave her to rot in some nursing home."

"And if something else happens to her?" I baulked a little at his suggestion. I didn't like to think of my Gran dying. "I'm just asking, Sookie," he said gently. "I don't want you making permanent changes to this house if it's not necessary." His tone was softer, and he took my hand his large, warm one.

I sighed. "I suppose your right. I need some ramps made as Gran struggles with steps, and we'll need to use a wheelchair at times." I pointed to the steps leading up to the porch and then into the house. "Gran's room is on the ground floor, so that's not a problem, but I wondered whether you could install some handrails for her to grip onto."

I walked Alcide through the house and he made some interesting suggestions. It seemed that he'd done something very similar for his ex-girlfriend's Gran, so knew some of things she may need around the house.

"Look, I was wondering," he began as he leaned against his truck. "How about you let me take you out one evening."

I had to admit to being a little shocked, but I was certainly flattered. "I don't know … I mean, you're Eric's friend and…"

"What does Eric have to do with this?" he interrupted. "You've said yourself that you went in different directions, and we're both single." He smiled at me. "And you're definitely hot."

I felt myself blushing.

"I'm a good guy, Sookie. Just come out to dinner with me. I'm not going to push you into anything you don't want, and you look like you could do with a friend that isn't your ex or his sister." He had a point there.

"Sure, I'd like that."

"I'm pretty busy all week, and I hope to start this work for you in the next few days, but how about I take you out to a nice Italian I know in Shreveport on Friday?"

"Why not."

He smiled. "Well, I'll see you in the week anyway, and I'm looking forward already." I had to admit that I was as well. I watched him climb into his truck and drive off before going back into the house with a smile on my face and writing another lengthy email to Amelia.

* * *

><p><strong>So, should Sookie have agreed to seeing Alcide? What's Eric's opinion of all this?<strong>

**I'd love to know your thoughts.**

**Next chapter will hopefully be up at the weekend.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Thanks for reading and for the reviews, alerts and favourites. Most people seem to be happy for Sookie seeing Alcide, and you can't blame the girl!**

**We start with the much-requested Eric POV.**

* * *

><p><strong>Eric<strong>

"Eric, are you okay? You're a little quiet."

Isabel had just pulled up outside our house and stopped the car. I climbed out without answering her, but went around the car and wrapped my arms around her as she got out.

"I'm sorry, Iz. I guess I've been a little distracted." I kissed her on the forehead.

"Are you okay with seeing her?"

Isabel locked the car and we walked inside. She sat down at the kitchen table while I pulled the grill pan out to make us bacon sandwiches, as was our normal post-Merlotte's tradition.

"It's a strange one. It's been nearly seven years since I last saw her, and I really didn't expect her to turn up here today. But I really feel like I want to be friends with her." I paused for a moment, searching her eyes. "Are you okay with that?"

"I'm fine with that," she said, getting up from the table and wrapping her arms around my waist. "I trust you, Eric. And I may not know her, but she doesn't seem like the type to try and steal you from me." She gave me a smile.

"She wouldn't succeed," I reassured her as I got on with making the sandwiches.

Isabel never had been the jealous sort, and I knew that she did trust me. And she was right in saying that Sookie wasn't the type to try to break up a relationship or cheat with someone. Or at least she hadn't been when I knew her before. But then we had both changed in the years apart.

"Maybe you two need to talk it out," she commented once we'd both eaten. "I know she hurt you."

"I don't think she realises that," I mused. "There was definitely something very wrong with our relationship, we both knew that, but for her it was the obvious decision to split. I never told her that I wanted us to work it out."

"Do you wish you had?"

"At the time, yes. But I think if she had stayed, I'd always have felt as if I was holding her back from doing what she wanted to. She'd always said she wanted to go to New York, but I never did. Would she have ended up resenting me for making her stay in Louisiana? Neither one of us seemingly wanted to sacrifice our own wishes. It probably wouldn't have worked anyway."

The fact was that Sookie walking away from me had hurt like hell. I hadn't expected her to suggest that we split up, and it pained me that she'd been so willing to call off what we had so quickly. Sure, we hardly saw each other due to our work commitments, but my unspoken suggestion was that we both should cut back on our working hours and spend more time together to work out our relationship. I'd even have gone to couples counselling if we needed to.

But once she did leave, I went off the rails a little. Or a lot. I'd been in a stable relationship since losing my virginity to Sookie at seventeen, so she was the only woman I had ever slept with. Needless to say for the next three years I made up for the years of fidelity and slept with many women; no woman lasting more than a couple of months before I got bored and moved on.

My parents and Pam had called me on my self-destructive behaviour right from the start, with my sister desperately trying to convince me to go to New York and see Sookie. But I was too hurt, and my pride had taken a beating by her leaving me, so I never went. And it wasn't as if Sookie ever came back for me, so I didn't think I should be the one to go chasing her when she was the one who had walked away.

It was my parents' deaths in November 2007 that finally sobered me up, and made me think about what I had been doing. It was incredibly painful to lose them both at the same time, and it certainly put my life in perspective. Pam had met Stan that previous March, and married him only months before in the September, so she had him to lean on, but I had no one.

I'd been disappointed that Sookie was unable to attend the funeral due to being in the Australian jungle with boyfriend _Bill_, but I appreciated the flowers she sent and her letter. I knew she was fond of my parents, as they had been of her, and it was nice to know that she still cared.

It was following my parents' death that local lawyer Sid Matt Lancaster announced that he was retiring from his small practice in Bon Temps, and he offered it to me. It was a kind offer, and I'd have been a fool to not have accepted him up on it. It was also a good excuse to leave Shreveport and the apartment that I'd formally lived in with Sookie.

I moved into my parents' old home, as Pam was living with Stan in their own home, and it was when I started to make some changes to the place that I met interior designer Isabel Beaumont. She was beautiful and charming, and instantly captivated me in a way that no woman had since Sookie, and before not too long, we were dating. I have to admit that it was probably a year before I really told her everything about Sookie, but she was patient with me and so understanding. It made me love her all the more.

She moved in with me after eighteen months together, and we'd been hugely happy for the three years we'd been together. I'd even picked up on a few hints she'd dropped about wanting to get married, although I wasn't quite at the ring-buying stage yet.

But in all honesty, I didn't really know what to make of Sookie's return. I'd expected that she would be back – if only to visit – when her Gran had the stroke, so I knew I was going to see her again, but I hadn't really expected her to come back to live. And she looked good. Real good. I couldn't deny that it hadn't been a little awkward when Alcide asked how we knew each other, but as the night went on it got easier.

Were we going to be able to be friends? I knew that it must be awkward for her to see Isabel and me together, and I knew for a fact that I'd be jealous if I was the single one and she'd come back with that boyfriend of hers. I didn't want to make things difficult for her, but at the same time, I wasn't going to do anything that would hurt Isabel.

"Penny for your thoughts, Mr Northman?" I always loved it when she called me that.

"Just thinking about the future."

"Sookie?"

"Yeah, I hope we can all get along."

"There's no reason why we can't," she said sincerely. "Unless you think she wants you back."

"I don't, but that would certainly make things difficult." I stood up and went to stand behind her, placing my hands on her shoulders as I kissed her hair. "Coming?"

"Not yet," she said with a knowing smile, before following me upstairs to our bedroom.

.

I had a fairly busy week at work, but like most other Thursdays, I met with a client in Shreveport and then went to meet Alcide in a bar we often frequented. When I entered I saw Alcide sat at the bar nursing a bottle of beer, and I ordered one. We both watched the game for a bit, not really talking, but after a while, I had to ask the question that had been on my mind.

"So … how are things going at Sookie's place?"

"I wondered if you'd ask," he stated. I didn't respond and waited for him to continue. "It's all going well. I've installed a couple of ramps to help her in and out of the house, and rails in the bathroom, that kind of thing. She's a pretty independent old lady."

"She always was." I said with a smile. I'd always been very fond of Gran, and she was hugely welcoming to Isabel as well considering the fact that her and my parents had always expected Sookie and me to marry and have kids. In many ways, she'd really taken care of Pam and me after our parents' death.

"Look, man, I should probably tell you that I asked Sookie out on a date."

I knew that I shouldn't have been surprised, but I was. They were both apparently single – or so Pam had not so subtly mentioned when we arrived at Merlotte's – and Sookie was incredibly attractive. "Okay …"

He sighed. "Look, I get that you and her have a history. But she told me you guys split mutually, although I do get that seven years is a long time to be with someone."

I wasn't about to tell Alcide that that it wasn't hugely mutual on my part as I feared he may mention something to Sookie. And it was irrelevant, anyway.

"I cared a lot for her. Just be good to her, okay?"

"I will do man. She's a great girl. But as I said to her, I'm not going to push anything. She's aware that we're friends and she doesn't want to do anything to annoy you. But it's probably good for her to have a friend that isn't you or your sister."

"True. I don't think she's been back much since she left."

"I couldn't help but notice Sam Merlotte has a thing for her."

I laughed darkly. "He always did. He'd always chase her around like some kind of puppy dog. The idiot never got the hint and she was always too polite to tell him to fuck off."

After getting that out of the way we enjoyed our night, drank a few beers, played a couple of games of pool – to which I kicked his ass at as normal – before I made was heading back to Bon Temps.

I didn't quite know what to make of Alcide and Sookie going out together, but I could hardly blame him. I knew that this was an awkward situation for both of us, and I don't think either one of us really knew how to react appropriately. I expected that we probably would tiptoe around each other for a while until we both became comfortable around each other. But I was also going to make sure that Isabel had no reason to be concerned with Sookie's presence.

.

**Sookie**

"_So?"_

"So yourself!" I countered. "I'm not the one that's been MIA all weekend." It was Monday afternoon and Amelia had finally called me back after I'd sent her a couple of lengthy emails updating her on the soap opera that was Bon Temps.

"_What can I say – I had a hot man between my thighs."_

"I so didn't need to know that."

"_Sookie … Tray is the one."_

"You said that about Bob. And numerous others before him."

"_But I'm telling you, I mean it this time!"_ I wasn't convinced_. "He is sooooo hot, and I swear his muscles have muscles. And he is really packing…"_ I stopped her there, not wanting to hear the rest of that sentence.

"I don't need to know, Amelia. Really."

"_Fine. So what about Mr Hot Stuff Alcide?"_

"Tall, built, handsome, deep tan with dark curly hair, kind green eyes and arms to die for." I had a real thing for arms.

"_And compared to Eric?"_

I sighed. "He's probably the only man that has ever come close to being as good looking as him. I liked Bill in a very different way. But Alcide is certainly hot. I just wish he'd take his shirt off so I could see the rest of him."

"_And you call me a perv!"_ she laughed. I looked out of the window of my bedroom at Alcide who with two other men and taking measurements for the wheelchair ramp they were building. I couldn't deny that he was good-looking, but he genuinely seemed like a nice guy as well, and I always had trusted Eric as being a good judge of character. _"Maybe if you behave yourself you'll get to see more."_

"Or misbehave!"

"_That's up to you, Miss Stackhouse!" _she laughed, before sobering_. "Everything is okay with Eric?"_

"As well as it can be, I think. His girlfriend is genuinely lovely, and it's obvious they're very much in love. I have to admit that I thought at first he was being all touchy-feely with her for my benefit, but I think that's just the way they are. Eric always was a very tactile person, and I can't blame her for being the same."

"_Still a little awkward though?"_

"I guess. Maybe we need to talk it out more; talk about the way we split up."

"_I thought it was mutual?"_

"It was, but I still think there were things left unsaid."

"_If you want to be friends with him, maybe you have to."_

"Yeah, that's the way I feel it is. But I think that maybe it's best to let the dust settle first. I'm going out with Alcide on Friday, and I think we're all meeting up again on Saturday evening."

Amelia's advice was essentially to play it all by ear. And I was looking forward to spending some time getting to know Alcide. I hadn't done the new relationship thing for close to five years since Bill and I first met, and it was always fun getting to know new people.

I spoke to him a little during the week, but we mostly kept it at a more professional level as him and his workers were doing the work needed on Gran's house. Gran certainly had her ups and downs, and I drove her around to her appointments when necessary and pretty much cooked and cleaned for her. And I knew how much it frustrated her that she was unable to do those things by herself.

Luckily, by the Friday night Gran was in a better frame of mind and happy for me to go out. I made her promise to call me if anything happened, and I was certain that there were plenty of others in Bon Temps who would gladly help her as she'd been 'Gran' to most people.

I got ready, pulling on my favourite pale blue dress and paired it with a pair of heeled sandals, put on a little light make-up and curled my hair. I had agreed to meet Alcide in Shreveport, as I didn't see the point of him driving all that way to come and pick me up, so he gave me the address of the restaurant and I met him there. I was relieved to know that it wasn't one I had been to with Eric, as I was certain I'd only have memories of Eric if that was the case.

When I arrived outside the restaurant Alcide was already there and leaning against his truck. He looked damned good in a pair of well-fitting dark blue jeans and a short-sleeved white button-down shirt that showed off his bronze skin. He also had a huge smile on his face as I climbed out of my silver Audi and went to greet him.

"Sookie, you look beautiful." He was certainly eyeing me appreciatively.

"Not so bad yourself, mister," I countered.

He held out an arm to me and escorted me into the restaurant. It was a lovely place, with private tables and a relaxed atmosphere, and we were shown to our table, which was in the corner of the room.

"This looks great," I told him as I ran my eyes over the menu. It was going to be hard to make a decision on what to have. "How'd you find this place?"

He looked a little sheepish. "I came here a few times with my ex-girlfriend Debbie and always liked the place. I hope you don't mind."

"Of course not." I hardly could considering my past.

"It's my kind of place; they serve big portions!" he said with a smile. He looked like he probably ate a lot.

I rolled my eyes. "What happened between you and Debbie?"

He sighed. "She cheated on me, and when I confronted her on it she ran off with the guy she was fucking to Jackson. I haven't heard a word from her since."

"I'm sorry." I could see it still affected him a little.

"Don't be; I'm not. She was bad news, but I'd always ignored that before. All my friends hated her, and none more so than Eric." I stiffened a little at his name, although I wasn't sure if Alcide noticed or not. "I know that I'm better off without her, and good riddance."

A waitress came up and took our drinks orders, bringing us some olives to nibble on as we chose our meals.

"The bruschetta's good," he informed me. "You'd think they use a whole basil plant for each dish."

"That's always been one of my favourites." And I did love it, but it had always made me think of Eric considering he hated basil, and had the ability to spot it in any food. "I could eat platefuls of the stuff. I make a pretty mean one myself."

He raised an eyebrow. "You like to cook?" I nodded. "I do as well. Maybe we could cook something up between us." He gave me a wink and a smile, and I relaxed into my seat.

Being with Alcide was decidedly easy, and it seemed that we'd already formed a natural friendship. Conversation was easy and varied, and we found we had other things in common aside from our mutual love of basil and cooking. He loved his job, and although he ran the construction business and had quite a few men working for him, he enjoyed doing the manual duties himself. And I'd certainly enjoyed watching him when he'd been working at Gran's house.

"So, can I see you again?" he asked me after I'd eaten a decadent and delicious yet fattening chocolate torte.

"I'd like that. But are you not coming to Merlotte's again tomorrow night?"

"I am, but I'd like to get you alone."

I was sure that although we'd spent some time flirting with each other in the restaurant, we'd both be a little less forward when Eric was around.

"Okay. What were you thinking?"

"How about I take you to the cinema?"

"That'd be good. Any thoughts on what you'd like to see?"

"How about the new _Harry Potter_ film?" I almost dropped the drink in my hand.

"Are you serious?"

"Why wouldn't I be?" Alcide tried to look offended, but didn't pull it off.

I smiled. "You just don't strike me as the _Harry Potter_ type."

He shrugged. "I can see why you might think that, but there are many layers to me, Sookie."

"I look forward to unwrapping them." Alcide gave me a wink.

"You didn't answer my question."

"Yes, Alcide, I'd love to go and see _Harry Potter_ with you. I've seen all the others, but haven't yet had the chance to see the final one. I've heard that Voldemort runs off with Hermione."

"Yeah, I heard that as well," he grinned. "And after the bromance that is Ron and Harry, you can't blame them for hooking up at the end."

I smiled to myself while Alcide paid the cheque.

"So, I'll see you tomorrow night at Merlotte's?" he asked when we got to our cars.

"Yeah."

"Just so you know – I did tell Eric that I asked you out."

I took a deep breath. "He was okay with it?"

"Why wouldn't he be? He has a girlfriend."

"I know, but I'm sure I'd feel a little strange if he started to date one of my friends, even if I was with someone else."

"He told me to look after you, which I would have done anyway."

"I just don't want to make things any more awkward then they already are," I admitted.

"I get that." He took a step closer to me and placed his large, warm hands on my upper arms. "I'll see you tomorrow." He gently kissed my forehead before he stepped away and we each got into our own cars.

I had to admit that I had a good time with Alcide. We got along well, and he was certainly good looking. I wasn't quite sure that the spark had been between us, but I was willing to give it a chance.

The next night we did all meet up again at Merlotte's. It was again a little uncomfortable at first, and I couldn't help the jealousy I felt at seeing Eric so happy and in love. But I was glad I'd made a friend in Alcide, and although we didn't particularly flirt together, I did spent most of the night talking to him.

The rest of my week was very up and down. I had a good time with Alcide mid-week watching _Harry Potter_, and the date had even finished with a quite delicious kiss, but things with Gran were hard work. It seemed that her mood was swinging from one extreme to the other more violently, and I'd even resorted to speaking to her doctor about it.

Unfortunately, there was little they could do. She was already on a high dose of medication, and although she was being given anti-depressants, there were times when I could not get her to take them. It meant that the following weekend I didn't get to meet up with Alcide and the others at Merlotte's that Saturday night. And when I met with her doctors the following Monday they told me she needed to have more specialist care than I was able to provide on my own.

But still I knew that Gran would want to be in her own home, and the geriatrician set me up with a nursing agency that provided her with the care she needed within her own home. I also wasn't going to leave her.

.

It was the Thursday of the week after, when I looked up from my seat on the porch swing and saw a red Corvette pulling up the driveway, with Eric the one driving. I felt that ever-present pull in my chest at the sight of him, and I put my laptop down and stood up to greet him. Things had been going well with Alcide, and with Gran's increased nursing it did meet that I was able to spend a little more time dating him.

"Eric, hi," I shouted over, moving up to lean on the pillar of the porch.

"Hey, Sook!" he walked over to where I was standing.

"If you've come to see Gran I think she's asleep at the moment." Eric had been by to visit Gran a few times, but somehow always when I had not been at the house.

He let out a sigh. "I came to see you actually." We still hadn't really sat down together and talked in the couple of weeks I'd been back, but we'd seemed to be quite happily skirting around the giant pink elephant in the room.

"Oh, sure. Can I get you anything?"

"A soda would be good." I was glad of the brief interlude of walking into the house to try to clear my head. I hadn't actually been alone with Eric since I first turned up at his house, and I was a little startled at him turning up like this.

I walked back outside with two sodas to find him sitting on the porch swing where I had been. I handed him the drink, picking up my laptop and placing it on the floor, before joining him but placing a cushion between us. He looked as good as ever, and had probably come straight from the office as he was wearing a smart grey suit.

"Working hard?" he asked, looking at my laptop and the other papers that were littering the vicinity.

"Yeah … I've been quite lucky that my editor has been finding work for me. I usually write reviews of exhibitions and shows, and things more along that line, but I've been doing some book reviews and a few local things."

"That's good. What local things?"

"I went to the opening of a new museum in Jackson, and I'm going down to New Orleans for the weekend tomorrow to watch a new production of _Swan Lake_."

I noticed that Eric's jaw stiffened a little, as did his overall posture. "Alcide mentioned he was going to New Orleans for the weekend. I assume he's going with you?"

"He is, yes."

The fact was that Alcide and I were getting along well, and although we hadn't slept together yet, we both knew it was on the cards and getting away from Northern Louisiana seemed like the ideal time. I liked spending time with him, and I wanted to see where our relationship went.

When Eric didn't respond, I felt the need to fill the silence. "Do you not want me to go with him?" I asked quietly. I was a little confused by Eric's silence.

Eric, whose eyes had been fixed on a spot on the floor, suddenly turned to me. "No … I mean, no I don't want you to change your plans. Alcide is a good guy – I hope you'll be happy together." He was talking a little quickly, and I wasn't sure how sincere he was being.

"We're just seeing where this goes, Eric," I said gently. I couldn't quite see why Eric was so concerned about Alcide and I spending the weekend together – it wasn't as if he was single. "I like him; we get along. And I don't really know that many people down here anymore."

"Maybe that's because you hardly ever came back," he snapped, a bitter tone is his voice.

"Excuse me? What did it matter to you whether I came back or not?"

"Your family missed you." He looked away from me so I couldn't see what was going on in his eyes.

"My _family_ wasn't the reason I left," I spat back at him.

He turned, anger in his eyes. "So, what, you left because of me?"

"Eric, we weren't going anywhere. I hardly fucking saw you." I could see that he was about to interject, but I cut him off. "And before you say it, I know it wasn't just you that was working all hours under the sun." I stopped and took a deep breath to calm myself. Yelling at him wasn't the way to be doing this. "It wasn't a healthy relationship, Eric. We used to be so good together; it was so easy to be with you. But what it turned into … it would have ended one way or the other."

We were both silent for a few minutes. I could see that there was something on his mind; something he wanted to say, but it looked like he was warring with himself as to whether he should say it. If I was being spiteful, I could have told him that I did come back for him, but it was pointless mentioning that now, and it wasn't as if he'd ever given any indication that he had wanted us to stay together.

Eventually, I noticed that his posture relaxed and he sighed heavily. He turned to me and took my hand for the briefest of moments. "I want you to be happy, Sook. I am with so happy with Izzy, and I know that I've learnt from some of the mistakes we made." He paused for a moment. "You've been happy in New York?"

"Yes … I've made good friends, have a great job and I really love city life. Although I have to admit that I'm enjoying the silence here as well. You never really get silence in Manhattan."

"I imagine." He was quiet for a few moments before speaking again. "You split up from your boyfriend then?"

"Yeah, we split at the start of the year, I guess six months ago now. I think we both realised we wanted different things."

"Sounds familiar." He gave me a half smile.

"In some ways, yes. But it was very different in many ways, and a lot less painful." I saw a curious look in his eyes. "Maybe it's because I'm older, or whether it was just that it was a different situation. Bill and I have remained good friends, and I've met his new woman a few times."

"She's his age?" he asked with an obvious dig at mine and Bill's age difference.

"She is – she has two grown up sons. Bill never really wanted children; it was one of the reasons we went our separate ways." I finished off my can of diet coke, suddenly feeling very parched. "How did you and Isabel meet?"

"I met her when I was doing up my parents' home. You know that she's an interior designer?" I nodded. "Well, I contacted her to draw me up some designs and we just hit it off."

"She's great, Eric, I really like her." I meant it as well. "You two are good together." It hurt to say it, but it was the truth, and it was obvious that they were very much in love.

"Thanks."

"Gran's not doing too well then?" he asked, changing the subject to a slightly safer one.

"No … the doctors told me I needed to get her nursing care, so I have employed an agency to give her the care she needs. In some ways it's good for me as it allows me to leave her for a few nights, and means I can do a little bit more work. But she's my priority, and I won't let anything happen to her." I couldn't help but tear up a little.

Eric took my hand once more. "Sookie you have to be realistic. She had a massive stroke and she's probably lucky to be alive, and if she's only getting worse then you need to be prepared." For what, he didn't say, but I caught his meaning.

"I know. It's just … she's all I have left."

"You have me," he said on autopilot.

"No, Eric, I don't." I felt a tear spill down my cheek. "Shit, sorry." I stood up so he didn't see quite how upset I was and I wiped my face dry. "Can I get you another drink?"

He stood up as well. "No, thanks. I should probably get back to the office as I have a late appointment. I just wanted to come and talk to you." I met his eyes and I couldn't understand what was behind them, but I certainly felt the hollowness within my own chest. "Have a good weekend."

"I will do." He walked away without hugging me or anything, something that only seemed to hurt me more. "I like the car," I said as he folded his long body into the Corvette. "You always wanted one like that."

"I bought it not long after you left," he told me with a sadness in his eyes. "But anyway, take care."

"And you, Eric."

I watched him as he drove off, salty tears falling silently down my cheeks. It hurt so much to see him, but I was determined to kick my habit, and whether it was right to or not, I was going to start doing just that by moving on with Alcide.

* * *

><p><strong>So … things are still being left unsaid, but they had a long overdue talk. And is Sookie right to move on from him with Alcide? Is that fair to him?<strong>

**What of Eric? What are his feelings towards his ex?**

**And onwards to New Orleans …I'd love to know your thoughts.**

**Next chapter should be up by mid-week.**

**;)  
><strong>


	4. Chapter 4

**Thanks for your continued support, it keeps me motivated.**

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><p>"Ready?" I asked Alcide as I picked him up from his house in suburban Shreveport. We'd agree that I'd drive, as my Audi was more economical than his truck and I'd be claiming the mileage back anyway.<p>

"Yeap," he said as he threw his bag in the trunk of the car. "You okay?" he asked, obviously picking up on my mood and pulling me into a hug.

"Yeah, I'm fine. It's just that Gran wasn't in a good way when I left earlier."

It was the truth that I felt guilty about spending two nights away from her. She'd had a really bad night the night before, and even cried when I said I was leaving. It was heart breaking to watch my Gran cry, as she'd always been such a strong woman.

But I had to admit to myself that I had Eric on my mind as well. I wasn't able to do any more work after he left, and I ended up going for a long drive to be alone with my thoughts. I was more than aware that although we had spoken there was still a lot left unsaid, and I wondered whether or not it was a good idea to tell him that I did come back. The problem was that it wasn't going to change anything. Eric was happy with Isabel, and when I did come back, he was obviously enjoying himself with other women.

I therefore made the executive decision not to let him know.

The thing was that I was so confused about what I was feeling. When I had left Eric, and Louisiana, those seven years ago it had felt like the right decision to make. Eric and I had seemingly drifted apart, and neither one of us was prepared to fight for what we had. In some ways I'd been a little surprised that Eric had been so willing to give us up, as he never was a quitter, but he'd obviously felt we were over.

And it wasn't as if I hadn't been happy with Bill. I'd always been up front with him, and told him everything about my relationship and break-up with Eric. He was hugely patient and understanding with me, and it became one of the things I loved about him. When I was with Bill I had moved on, and I didn't think about Eric that often. Although, I'll admit that I was always on edge whenever we came back to Northern Louisiana that I would see Eric, something Bill always seemed to understand.

Speaking to Eric yesterday meant that I didn't get too much sleep. I wanted to focus on the fact that I was going to be having a weekend away with a great man, but since speaking to Eric, all I could think about was him, and that wasn't right. I resolved that maybe it would be best if we didn't spent much time together, as it didn't seem fair to Isabel or Alcide to make them at all uncomfortable if Eric and I can't get along.

"We don't have to go," Alcide said gently, placing a hand on my lower arm.

I sighed. "She has good nursing care, and her mood is all over the place anyway. And anyway, I want to go." I smiled up at him and he placed a kiss on my forehead before we both climbed into the car for the three hundred and forty mile journey.

We talked for most of the journey, debating favourite books, films and musical tastes. I had to admit that I'd probably have assumed Alcide wasn't as cultured as he was, but we were able to easily debate the merits of Jerry Bruckheimer films, discuss our favourite Stephen King novel, argue over whether the _Pirates of the Caribbean_ films were any good (which they weren't despite Johnny Depp looking hot), and outright row over whether the Stones or the Beatles were better (obviously the Stones).

The hotel I'd booked us into in New Orleans was in the French Quarter of the city with spectacular views of the city from the roof terrace. I'd stayed their once before with Bill, and I hoped that Alcide wouldn't mind that we went there again. After parking the car, we booked into the one-bedroom suite I'd chosen for us. The room was decadent and furnished in nineteenth-century décor, with a large, king-sized bed filling the bedroom of the suite.

Alcide – who had insisted on carrying both bags – placed them down on the sofa and went to check out the suite, pleased that there was both a large shower and bath.

"Hey," he said gently, walking up to me so that he was standing right in front of me. "You doing alright?" He pushed a stray lock of hair behind my ear.

"I'm good." I rested my head against his chest for a few moments.

"Look, Sookie, I want to get this out the way. I'm not expecting anything from you … sexually, that is. I know we haven't known each other that long, and I understand that there are some complications." I guessed that he meant Eric. "So just know that I'm not here for that sole purpose."

"Sole purpose?" I teased.

He shrugged. "Well, if anything happens I'm not going to push you off."

"Good to know," I told him with a smile.

I had to admit that the last few times I'd been alone with Alcide there had been some lust between us. But apart from kissing and some over-the-clothes groping, nothing had happened between us.

I supposed that, like Alcide, I was just happy to see where this went, and if we ended up doing anything sexual then so be it. I was going to be sleeping in the same bed as him, after all, and I wasn't entirely sure that I was going to be able to keep my hands off him.

"So, what's the plan?" he asked, flopping down on the bed where I joined him and rolled over onto my side.

"I booked us a meal in an excellent grill bar tonight, but I thought before that we could explore the city a little. You've been here before?"

"Not for a long time and before Katrina. I'm sure things have changed."

"Well … how about we get ready and head out. I for one could really do with a shower. Our meal's booked for nine."

"Sounds good. I'll let you shower first – I know what you women are like in getting ready."

I scowled at him, but he was quite accurate. "I'll be ready in under two hours, I promise."

He rolled his eyes. "I guess I'd better make myself comfortable then!"

He left the bedroom to go into the living room of the suite while I got ready. He showered as soon as I was out, and I spent some time running my straighteners through my hair and applying a little light makeup. I wore a cute red and white sundress, which was dressy enough for the restaurant and paired it with some white ballet flats since we'd be walking around. Alcide looked particularly hot in a pair of dark jeans, black boots and a dark green shirt that accentuated the colour of his eyes.

"You're ready? In only an hour? I'm shocked."

"I can assure you that I am not that high maintenance."

"We'll see," he said with a smile, taking my hand as he led me out of the hotel.

We had a good evening, spending some time walking around the French Quarter, and the meal was delicious. I really was enjoying Alcide's company, so that with a little alcohol loosening us both up we were flirting more, and letting hands wander.

"Fancy heading back to the hotel?" I asked Alcide after we'd come out of the bar next to the restaurant.

He gave me a sultry look. "Sounds like a plan."

Luckily, it wasn't too far to walk, and after twenty minutes, we were back inside the hotel. When we were back in the room, I placed my purse down on the sofa and kicked my shoes off, Alcide doing the same with his boots.

When he looked up I gave him a small smile and he took it as the invitation it was. He slowly walked up to me and placed his hands on my waist, while mine went to his strongly muscled chest. He kissed me briefly on the lips before whispering, "Are you sure?"

I knew I was. "Yes, let's see where this goes."

His lips met mine once more, and with an increased vigour as his large hands went to my back to hold me close to him. His kiss was warm and sensuous, and I could feel evidence of his arousal as our tongues met and my hands sank into his curly dark hair. He picked me up easily, both of his hands resting underneath my ass, and as we continued to kiss, he carried me carefully into the bedroom.

I couldn't deny that I wanted this to happen, and from the moisture pooling between my legs, it was evident that my body was preparing itself. But there was just that little something telling me that it wasn't right. A _little something_ I chose to ignore.

He placed me on the edge of the bed, our lips never leaving each other's as my hands found their way between us and I started to undo the buttons of this shirt. His own hands were in my hair when I finally undid the last button, and Alcide pulled his arms back briefly to throw the shirt somewhere behind him.

I took the opportunity to lean back as my eyes ran over his perfect form. He had muscles in all the right places and his torso was positively lickable. So I did, earning a deep growl from Alcide.

"You're overdressed," he whispered hungrily.

He gave me a hand, which I took, and I stood up and allowed him to unzip the back of my dress, his eyes on mine the whole time until my dress was a puddle on the floor. His warm hands ran over my flesh as we continued to kiss, and my fingers found their way to the buckle of his belt and I started to undo his jeans. I palmed his cock through his black boxers, and he groaned, digging his fingers into my ass,

Before not too long our remaining clothing was scattered around the bedroom, and Alcide was worshipping my body, his head between my legs as he brought me quickly to an orgasm through an expert collaboration of his tongue and fingers.

"You're sure?" he asked me on more time as I was coming down from my high. At that time, I think I would have given him anything.

"Yes. I want this." I was pretty certain I saw a slight hesitation in his eyes, and I hoped that he hadn't picked up on any of my own uncertainty. I couldn't deny that I was enjoying myself, and he'd just brought me to one hell of an orgasm, but I still had that nagging sensation in the back of mind.

But Alcide's return with a condom in his hands soon brought rest to that, and I watched him roll the rubber onto his long and thick manhood. I smiled lustily as he climbed up my body, taking each nipple into his mouth in turn and doing wicked things, before he wrapped an arm underneath me and positioned himself at my entrance.

We both groaned in pleasure as he sank fully inside me, and he held me close to him as he gently started to move. We soon both picked up the pace, and my heels were digging into his ass as he started to pound into me. The man certainly had good stamina, and I was brought to another delicious orgasm before I felt Alcide expand and then spill his seed into the prophylactic.

He rolled off me and disposed of the condom in the bathroom, coming back with a warm, damp washcloth for me. I thanked him, and wiped myself off before climbing – still naked – under the sheets. Alcide sighed and got in so that he was facing me.

Neither one of us said anything for a few minutes until Alcide moved so that he was leaning on his elbow and looking down at me. "That wasn't quite right was it?"

I shut my eyes, relieved that he felt the same way. "No," I admitted despondently. "Not that I didn't enjoy myself, but … I don't know." I sighed and buried my face into the bed. Alcide placed a hand in my hair and waited until I met his eyes again until he continued.

"I do like you, Sookie, and you're an incredibly beautiful woman, but if I'm honest something doesn't quite feel right." He took my hand in his spare one. "But I want it to be noted that I definitely enjoyed that."

I smiled. "You have no idea how much I wanted this to work," I said more to myself than to him. "I really like you, Alcide, and we get along. But no matter how great that was, I agree that it wasn't quite right."

"Eric?" he asked. I couldn't help but feel a little guilty that he'd had to bring up another man's name just after we'd has sex.

"I think it's more than that. I just don't think we're meant to be in that way."

"I do agree with you. I guess I also wish it could have happened between us. And maybe we did need to do that just to realise that we're not suited to each other. But what do you say … friends?" He held out a hand to me.

"Friends," I agreed.

"I'm thinking I should probably put some clothes on," he said with a smile. "I'm happy to sleep on the sofa."

"Don't be ridiculous. You're far too big to sleep on that." He raised an eyebrow. "I didn't mean like that, but yes … you're well-endowed there as well." He shot me a wink. "But I'm happy for you to sleep with me in here … if you want to."

"I'd like that, Sook."

I ogled his ass as he walked away and pulled his boxer shorts on, while I wrapped the sheet around me and went to my case to grab my pyjamas.

Once dressed, I climbed back into bed and Alcide pulled me close to him, my head resting on his firm chest. "So, want to tell me what's going on between you and Eric?"

"Not really."

"Sook, I want to be a friend to you."

"I know, but you're his friend as well. I don't want to come between you."

"You won't."

"It's complicated."

"You can trust me."

I sighed deeply. "Really there's not much to tell. We talked yesterday but nothing really was said; we certainly didn't resolve anything. I know he wasn't telling me everything, and I wasn't being completely forthcoming with the truth either. But I've decided that it's probably best if I keep my distance from him. He's happy with Izzy, and I'm not going to risk anything that will upset him or her. Other than that there's nothing to tell."

Alcide seemed to get my hint that I didn't want to talk about it anymore and let the subject drop – luckily for the rest of the weekend. After we'd realised that we'd be better off as friends things got even better between us, and I knew he'd become a firm friend. I knew that Alcide had his doubts over seeing _Swan Lake_, but he genuinely enjoyed it – even as a ballet virgin – and we talked extensively about the performance on the way home the next day.

After we'd returned to Bon Temps, I continued to see Alcide fairly regularly, and I had to admit that it helped having him as a friend. Things still weren't good with Gran, and Eric seemed to be avoiding me as much as I was avoiding him. The only notable event in the weeks that followed was Pam giving her birth to her daughter Charlotte a few weeks before she was due. She was a little small and ended up being kept in the maternity unit for a week, but mom and daughter were both doing well.

I had to admit, however, that I was a little surprised when a week after Pam and her daughter were allowed home she called me up and asked me to come and see her. As Pam was four and a half years younger than me, we'd never been that close growing up, so only really became friends towards the end of Eric's and my relationship.

I'd gone into Shreveport to a cute independent baby store to pick up a couple of cute outfits for the little one, along with a rocket ship toy for Ethan so that he wouldn't feel left out that his baby sister was getting all the attention.

When I turned up at Pam's house, she met me at the door looking amazingly well considering she'd only given birth a few weeks earlier and was no doubt suffering from sleepless nights.

"Sookie, thanks for coming."

"No problem, it's good to see you – you look great!"

"I've been working out." I had no idea where she found the time, but it didn't surprise me.

She let me into the home she shared with Stan, which was sleek and modern with clean lines; minimalist even. I had to admit that I didn't see Pam with that kind of style, but it was certainly very stylish. However, I was greeted by three and a half-year-old Ethan running up to me and then clinging onto Pam's leg as he watched me.

He really was a clone of Eric at that age, and it made me wonder whether he had any Davis genes at all, as the boy was certainly a Northman.

"It's okay, sweetie," she cooed at him. "This is Sookie. She's a friend of mommy's."

"Hi Ethan," I said, dropping to one knee. "I have a present for you."

He simply watched me as I pulled the rocket ship out of the bag and handed it to him.

"What do you say, Ethan?"

"Thank you."

"That's okay," I stood back up as the little boy ran back off in the direction of his dad to show him what he'd been given.

"You didn't have to," Pam told me.

"I wanted to. And I bought a few things for Charlotte, so it seemed only fair."

She smiled, leading me into a gorgeous yet somewhat clinical kitchen where she made us both drinks. She then led me to her more comfortable living room, and I passed her the gifts I bought for her new daughter who was asleep in her crib in the corner of the room. She was very much the Northman, with a light covering of blonde hair, and I could only imagine that she had big blue eyes as well.

"So how are you?" I asked when we were seated.

"Good, actually. The birth was easier this time, though all I will say if you ever have children, is take as many drugs as you can. I learnt my lesson with Ethan!"

"Trust me, I think I would anyway! I've never been good with pain."

We were interrupted by Stan coming into the room. "Sorry to bother you ladies. Pam, I'm going to take Ethan to the park – do you want me to pick up anything on the way back?"

"No, I can't think of anything," she answered before he came over and kissed her gently.

"You two are good together," I mused when we were alone.

"I never, ever thought I'd be married to someone like Stan, but he's good for me, and there's nothing not to like about him. I'm really happy, and I know he is as well."

"You deserve it," I told her.

"Thanks." She paused for a moment before continuing. "So, you and Alcide…" I suddenly got the feeling this was why she'd invited me here and no doubt ordered Stan to leave us alone.

"We're friends."

"Did you sleep together?" I wasn't sure how much I wanted to tell her, and I certainly didn't want everyone knowing mine and Alcide's business. "I'm not going to mention anything to anyone," she said gently after I hadn't responded.

"We did, but we both realised that that spark wasn't there. I genuinely think we're better as friends. And anyway, he has a date tonight."

Alcide had met Maria through Isabel as she was a photographer that Isabel had used before on one of her projects. Alcide had told me that they'd hit it off straight away and he was hugely attracted to her. Tonight was their first date on their own, and I knew he was really hoping things would work with her.

"Yeah, Eric mentioned."

I tried not to react to Eric's name being mentioned. "I'm happy for him. I really like Alcide, and it's been great to have him as a friend."

"We're your friends as well," she commented a little sharply.

"I know … it's just … you're Eric's sister."

"So this is about Eric then?"

I sighed loudly. "Me and Alcide not working out is about us, not Eric. There just wasn't that spark there, and I wasn't going to use him for sex. I respect him more than that."

"Fine, but you've been avoiding spending any time with Eric since you two talked at your house." Eric had obviously told his sister that we'd had a conversation.

"I know."

"So it's a conscious decision to avoid him?"

"Yes," I said with a shrug. "And I think it's for the best. I know that if I was in Isabel's position I wouldn't want my boyfriend's ex hanging around."

"Izzy isn't the jealous type."

"Still … I just think that it's better if I stay away from Eric. It's just easier that way."

"You still have feelings for him."

I didn't want to answer that as I was concerned about what she might say to him. It was bad enough that she knew I came back those six months after I had left.

I had tried not to think about Eric too much, and I'd definitely not been analysing myself to work out exactly what I felt for Eric. But the fact was that I thought about him far too often, and it hurt to see him with Isabel. I didn't like to give that a label.

"Sookie, I guess I've been thinking about this as well, and I agree that it's best for Eric not to know that you came back. And for that matter to not to know that you have feelings from him now – which I'm guess is the case considering you'd have shot me down if I was wrong." She was right there.

"Eric is my brother," she continued, "and he is my priority. I'm not going to do anything that's going to upset him or harm his relationship with Iz. So it's the case that I think you're doing the right thing in avoiding him; it's obvious the two of you don't do friends well. But that doesn't mean I can't be a friend to you as well, and I've proven that I can keep my mouth shut when something matters."

"Thanks Pam."

"But I do wish that I'd told him at the time. I think things would be very different if I had."

I didn't need to hear that. "I don't know … he seemed to be enjoying himself when I saw him that night." I was aware how bitter I sounded.

"But he wasn't happy. I tried to get him to go to see you in New York but he was too damned stubborn. I should have told him."

I sighed. "It's irrelevant, Pam. And I am happy for him. Isabel seems great, and they love each other. It's what I want for him."

"And you?"

"I'll survive. I'm a Stackhouse after all; we're strong women."

We spent the next two hours reminiscing about old times, talking about her children, and what she wanted for the future. I talked about my life and friends in New York, and I told her that she must visit me when I returned to the city so we could go shopping together. I imagined that Pam would tire even Amelia out when it came to shopping.

It was certainly nice to see her, and she promised me that she wouldn't mention anything of our conversation to Eric.

The next couple of weeks went without event, and I managed to get a fair bit of work done. I still hadn't seen Eric, although Alcide had told me that he was doing good. And I was actually starting to enjoy the quiet life that Bon Temps brought me.

That was until I woke one mid-September morning to find that Gran had died in her sleep.

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><p><strong>Sorry … I had to kill of Gran, I'm afraid.<strong>

**I'd love to know your thoughts – are Sookie and Pam doing the right thing in not telling Eric? Should Sookie and Alcide made more of a go of it? What's Sookie going to do now?**

**Next chapter at the weekend.**

**;)**


	5. Chapter 5

**Thanks for the great response to the last chapter. I'm giving you this a little early…**

**And I suppose an angst warning might be appropriate.**

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><p>"Thanks," I muttered to Mike Spencer as he took Gran's body away.<p>

"Sookie, can I call anyone for you?"

"No, thank you. But if you could let everyone know when her funeral will be, I'd be grateful. Other than that I'd like to be left alone." He'd already told me it was likely to be the following Monday.

"No problem." He gave me a sympathetic smile. "I'll be sure to let people know."

Once he left I sat down at the kitchen table. I was officially alone. There was no way that Jason was going to be able to get home for her funeral as he was on active service in the Middle East, and I had no other family to speak of.

After half an hour of just staring at the table in front of me and wondering what the hell I was going to do, I wrote an email to Jason telling him of her passing and asking him to call me as soon as he was able to. I then called Amelia.

"_Morning Sook, all okay?"_

"No. Gran died."

"_Shit, I'm so sorry. When was it?"_

"Last night, at some point. I found her dead this morning."

"_Sookie, I'm so sorry. I'll book a flight as soon as I can to be with you."_

"You don't have to …" The truth was I could really use her support and friendship.

"_Of course I do. Do you want me to call up Bill? I know he'd come down as well, although I doubt Judith could get the time off work."_ Bill was on a sabbatical for a semester to study on his research so didn't have any teaching to commit to for the Fall term.

"I don't want to be a burden."

"_You're not. You know he'll come."_

"Thanks, Amelia; I'd really like it if you both came down."

"_I'd have invited Tray as well, but he's working this weekend, and I'm pretty confident he won't be able to get out of it."_

"Shame, I'd like to meet him," I said, attempting a smile.

"_You will do when you come back … You are coming back, aren't you?"_

"I haven't really thought about it, to be honest. But there's nothing tying me here."

"_What about your Gran's house?"_

"She told me years ago that she was leaving it to me," I told her before a thought suddenly hit me and made me feel a little sick. "Oh god."

"_What?"_ she asked, panicked.

"I just realised that it was Eric that took over the law practice in Bon Temps from Sid Matt Lancaster, meaning he's the one that holds her will. Shit."

"_I'm sure you can see another lawyer if you want to."_

"No … I couldn't do that." I sighed deeply, resting my head on the kitchen table. "He's pretty much family to her as well."

"_Have you contacted him yet?"_

"No, I'm trying to put that off. Right now I don't really want to see anyone."

"_If you don't want me to come …"_ she started before I cut her off.

"I don't mean you, Amelia. I mean that I can't deal with Eric or Pam right now. The word's being spread that Gran passed away, but I don't want to be inundated by mourners right now. But believe me, I'd really appreciate it if you came."

"_Of course I will. I'll let you know the flight times as soon as we book the flights."_

I let Amelia go to call Bill and book the flights needed for them to join me in Louisiana. Amelia could be a little self-centred at times, but there were other times when she had really pulled through for me, and I had a feeling that this was going to be one of those times. I kept my phone in my pocket to listen out for any update from her, and I wondered aimlessly around the house until I found myself outside of Gran's room.

I took a deep breath before entering and sitting down on her bed. The room still smelled of her, but there was also a distinctly hospital-like smell that came from the nurses being here. But what I needed to do was to pack up her belongings. I went out to the outbuilding and found some cardboard boxes that had been stowed there and I started to sort through her belongings. I had one box for personal belongings of hers that I wanted to keep for myself, but most of it I boxed up ready to go to the charity shop.

After an hour or so, I'd had a quick call from Amelia to say that her and Bill were at Newark and were boarding a blame to Memphis, where they'd change for one to Shreveport. I worked hard during the afternoon, and once I'd finished Gran's room, I started boxing personal items from around the house that I either wanted to keep or would leave at Jason's house for him to sort through on his return.

By mid-afternoon, I'd pretty much finished, having been grateful for the distraction. I'd placed all the boxes in Gran's room, and I went to prepare the two rooms upstairs for Amelia and Bill to sleep in, changing the sheets and opening the windows to air them out a little. At five there was a knock at the door, and expecting it to be Amelia and Bill I went to answer it.

Only it was Eric, Isabel and Pam instead, all with sympathy in their eyes.

"Hi," I greeted, surprised by their presence.

"Sookie," Eric started, "you should have called. It shouldn't have been Maxine Fortenberry that told me of her passing." Eric sounded a little put out that I hadn't called him, but I ignored that fact. "Are you okay?"

"I'm coping."

Pam took a step towards me and pulled me into her arms. I couldn't hold back the sob that escaped my lips, and she held onto me tightly as I finally allowed the tears to fall. I felt Eric's warm hand on my back and I tried my best not to tense up at his touch, but I was sure that Pam noticed as she pulled us both away from him.

"Is there anything we can do?" Pam asked as she led me into the kitchen. Eric and Isabel followed us in.

"Not really. Mike's going to arrange the funeral, and there's little else to do."

"What about the wake?" she asked gently.

I hadn't thought of that. "I don't know. I guess I can cook up some food."

"Nonsense," it was Isabel that spoke up and my eyes shot to her. "Let us help you. I didn't know your Gran for long, but she was a great and caring lady who was loved by everyone. People want to be there for you." She looked to Eric as she said that.

"Sure," I said, feeling a little defeated. I wasn't strong enough to deal with Gran's death and Eric's presence. I sank down at the kitchen table, and watched Eric as he went to the refrigerator to pour me a glass of ice-tea. I wasn't quite up for being a good hostess, and Eric knew this house as well as I knew his.

"Come and see me whenever you want to go over her will," he told me as the three of them sat down at the table with me. "You know I'll help you with her estate."

"Thanks, I haven't really thought that far ahead."

"Not a problem, Sookie. Look … why don't you come over to our place tonight. I don't like the thought of you being here on your own."

I didn't get to see Isabel's reaction to that comment, but I was sure as hell sure that she wouldn't be impressed with that. And anyway, even if it wasn't for the fact that Amelia and Bill were on their way, I certainly wouldn't have agreed to Eric's offer.

"Thanks, but I'll be fine here."

"Or you could stay at mine?" Pam offered as an alternative, obviously knowing that I wouldn't be comfortable staying at Eric's.

"And be kept awake by your daughter?" I asked with a half-smile. "No thanks. And I'm fine really."

"_Sookie?"_ I heard from outside, and I recognised Amelia's voice.

"Who's that?" Eric asked a little stiffly.

"My friend Amelia. I called her earlier," I explained, standing up quickly and going to the door to let them in. Amelia wrapped her arms tightly around me as soon as she saw me, and I couldn't stop the tear that fell. When she finally released me, Bill gathered me into his arms, and I felt comforted by his familiar hold, even though we'd split up nine months earlier.

The problem was that I didn't really like the thought of Bill and Eric being in the same place. Bill knew all about Eric: he knew why we split up, and he knew that I had gone back after six months. But Eric didn't know that much about Bill except that we'd dated for four and a half years and had split mutually in a very different circumstance to the one with him. I was genuinely glad, however, that I had remained on such good terms with Bill, and I was pleased that he'd taken the time out to come to Louisiana.

"Judith wanted you to know that she's thinking of you," he told me when he let go of me.

"Tell her thanks."

"Who else is here, Sook?" Amelia asked, looking at the extra car parked in the driveway.

"Pam, Eric and Isabel." She gave me a knowing look. "I know." She knew as well as I did that I didn't need this right now.

"Might as well get it over and done with," she whispered to me, wrapping an arm around my waist.

I led Amelia and Bill back into the house, and to the kitchen where the others were still waiting. It didn't surprise me that all eyes were one me and my new guests.

"Guys, I'd like you to meet Amelia and Bill. They flew down from New York this afternoon. Amelia, Bill, this is Pam, Eric and Isabel."

I didn't miss the look of anger that Eric shot at Bill, and I couldn't for the life of me think why he was so bothered that Bill was here. It was Pam that recovered first.

"Nice to meet you all," she said to my friends. Isabel parroted her greeting, while Eric grunted something inaudible. "We'd better leave you alone," she said a little too brightly. "But let us know if you need_ anything_." She really emphasised that last word.

"Sure. And thank you all for coming by, I really appreciate it." I couldn't meet Eric's eyes.

Pam gave me a deep hug, with Isabel hugging me as well before I was left just facing Eric. "I'm sorry for you loss," he said without emotion.

"Thanks." I could feel the tears springing to my eyes, and it wasn't this time as a result of Gran's death. I watched them climb into Pam's car and drive off, collapsing to the floor as soon as they were gone.

"Hey," Amelia cooed as she and Bill helped me into the living room. They both held onto me and let me cry for a few minutes before I managed to pull myself together and dry my eyes with the tissue Amelia handed me.

"So that's the elusive Eric Northman," Bill commented.

"Bill," Amelia and I warned at the same time.

"What? I'll tell you what, if looks could kill I'd be six foot under right now."

"I have no idea what that was about," I told them both.

"Come on, Sookie, you're smarter than that."

I looked to Amelia, not knowing what she meant. "What?"

"Eric knows you dated Bill, right?" I nodded. "So he's pissed that Bill's here."

"It's nothing to do with him!" I argued. "It's not even as if Bill and I are still together,"

"True, but if you ask me he's jealous."

"He has nothing to be jealous about! He's with Isabel The Perfect Girlfriend. He wasn't bothered by me sleeping with Alcide." At least I assumed he wasn't.

"You don't know how much he knows about that. It's possible that Alcide didn't tell him. They are friends after all, and Alcide knows all about you guys."

"I just don't get why Eric would be remotely jealous. He's being friendly and supportive, I get that. But I'm not any more to him than that." I tried not to feel too down about that.

"Sookie," Bill said gently. "Believe me when I say that the look he gave me was not one of man who doesn't feel anything for you."

"Well it's irrelevant anyway," I snapped. "He has a girlfriend who I know he's in love with, and I'm going back to New York." I wasn't entirely sure about it before then, but I made my mind up then and there.

"What about this place?" Amelia asked.

"I'll rent it out. I'm sure there are people wanting to rent a house like this. I'll speak to Eric when I go through Gran's estate. I'm sure he knows of a good property manager that can help me."

"When are you planning to come back?"

"There doesn't seem any need to stick around," I said with a shrug. "I've already started to box up some items, and I have lots to take to the charity shop. There are some things I'd like to keep but otherwise I'll store it in Jason's house. I was thinking I'd drive back next week sometime after the funeral."

"I need to head back early Tuesday for a meeting, I'm afraid," Bill commented.

"That's okay."

"But I'll drive back with you," Amelia informed me. I had to admit that it was what I'd hoped she'd say.

"Thank you."

The three of us just watched TV for the rest of the evening, and in the days that followed, they helped me depersonalise the house ready for rental, and we took boxes over to Jason's house. It was the next day that he was finally able to call me, and I could tell he was upset that he was unable to come back for her funeral since she'd been the one to raise him from a baby. He'd never known our parents, so for him, Gran was his parent. However, he was hopeful that he may get some leave around Christmas, and I told him that I'd be back in New York.

I hadn't seen Eric again since he left my house that day, but Pam and Isabel had both been over with offerings for the wake, as well as several of Gran's friends from the town. It seemed there were going to be many mourners at her funeral, and it pleased me that my Gran had touched so many.

.

**Eric **

If there was one thing I knew, it was that I hated Bill Compton.

I hated that he'd travelled to Louisiana to be with her. I hated that he was the one with his arm around her, and I hated that her relationship with him was closer than her relationship with me, even though the circumstances of their split was similar to ours. And most of all I hated that she allowed him to be there for her.

There had been a huge turnout for Adele Stackhouse's funeral, and I had to admit that hearing of her death had really affected me. I'd never known my own grandparents as they'd lived in Europe and died before I had chance to visit my parents' homeland, so Adele was as much my Gran as Sookie's. I'd seen her often after Sookie and I split, and she never changed towards me despite the fact that I was no longer with her granddaughter. Although she had made it more than clear on occasion that she thought we were stupid to split up.

"Quit it," Pam's voice said from behind me. I turned to see my sister giving me a hard stare.

"What?"

"Looking like you want to kill Bill Compton."

"I do." I was more than happy to admit that.

"Eric," she scolded, hitting me on the arm and then pulling at me so that I was facing her and not Sookie/Bill. "You have got to stop this before Isabel realises what an asshole you're being." I scowled at her, but she ignored me. "I mean it."

"Why the fuck can she be such good friends with him?" I almost growled at Pam. "They only split up at the start of the year, yet she invites him down here and he's staying at her fucking house. Why is it that she can be like that with him, but not with me."

"Are you really that fucking dense?" my sister asked me. "I always had you for having half a brain, but seriously, what is wrong with you?"

"Pam," I warned her. I wasn't going to take her talking to me like that.

She looked around, and grabbed at my arm so that we were completely alone. "Do you not get it, Eric? The reason she can be friends with Bill is because there is absolutely nothing between them anymore. They split up; end of story. You and her have a more complex history, and from the way that both of you are behaving there are obviously some things left unsaid between you. Talk to her."

"It's not that simple," I said with a sigh.

"Don't I know it," she muttered. "Eric, you need to either talk to her honestly or you need to shut up and put up. You have a great girlfriend in Isabel, and I won't have you hurting her with this."

"I'm not going to cheat on Iz."

"I know you won't, but right now you're not being fair on her."

"I'm not doing anything wrong," I argued.

Pam shook her head. "That you don't realise it is part of the problem. I'm going to find Stan and the kids."

My sister walked off and I leaned back against a tree in Sookie's yard. This day was taking its toll on me. It may have been a funeral, but I couldn't deny how good Sookie looked in her figure-hugging black dress. What worried me was what would happen next. But I was distracted from my thoughts by Isabel coming up to me and moulding herself into my side as I wrapped an arm around her.

"Are you okay? I know she meant a lot to you as well."

"Yeah. I guess it's making me think about my parents' funeral." That wasn't a lie, as this had made me think a lot about them.

"I'm so sorry, I didn't think about that. This must be awful for you." Sometimes it amazed how sweet and compassionate Isabel could be. "I wish I could have been there for you then."

"I do too," I said, leaning down to kiss her on the head. "I love you, Iz."

"Love you too."

We stayed alone for a while before re-joining the wake. Sookie was still being flanked by Amelia and Bill, but I noticed that Alcide and his new girlfriend were talking to them as well. I had to admit to being relieved when Alcide told me that they'd decided they weren't right together, as in honesty I hadn't been happy at all about the two of them seeing each other. At least they hadn't slept together.

Pam came over with Stan and the kids, and I could see how tired Ethan was. I picked him up as he always liked me to. "I think we need to get going," Pam said quietly. "This one's almost dead on his feet, and Charlotte is getting antsy."

"Sure. Maybe we should all leave."

"We can stay longer if you wish," Isabel told me. I looked over to Sookie to see that Compton was still at her side.

"No, I think it's best if we go."

We all walked over to where Sookie was, with Pam and Isabel both giving Sookie a hug after we'd explained why we were going. With Ethan in my arms I wasn't really able to do the same, but I knew that would probably be dangerous. I'd hugged her the first time I saw her, but things had only become more difficult since then, and I wanted to keep some level of distance between us.

"You're still coming to the office tomorrow morning?" I asked her. She'd already called my assistant and arranged an appointment to go over her Gran's will.

"Sure, I'll see you then."

I leaned down and gave her a quick and friendly kiss on the cheek before we all left and went back to our separate homes.

.

I'd given my assistant Dawn the day off as I didn't want her around when Sookie arrived, although if anyone asked I'd told her to say that she was sick. Of course, her discretion cost extra, but I was happy enough to give her a little bonus. I was pacing nervously inside my office when I heard the door open outside.

"_Do you want me to come in with you?"_

"_No, I'll be fine."_

"_Okay, hon, I'll be in the car."_

As soon as I heard the door shut again, I opened my office door to see Sookie standing there looking more than a little nervous.

"Hey, Sook," I said with a smile. My voice sounded more confident than I was, but it seemed to relax Sookie enough. "Can I get you a drink? Coffee?"

"I'd kill for one," she said with a small smile as I showed her into my office. I'd already had the coffeepot on and I handed her a black coffee, remembering how she liked it last time.

"Thanks."

After making my own with lots of cream and sugar, I sat down in my chair across the desk from her and pulled out the paperwork I needed. "Are you okay?"

She sighed. "Yeah, I just can't believe that I buried Gran yesterday."

"I know," I replied sadly. "I guess we're the older generation now."

"It's made you think about your parents." It was a statement, and quite accurate.

"It has. I still miss them every day." I took a moment to compose myself. "But anyway, shall we?"

"Sure. I think I want to get this over and done with."

"Well, it's all very simple. You're Gran left you the house and land, and all her possessions to do with as you please, and any investments and cash she has is to be split equally between you and Jason."

"Yes, she did tell me that a few years ago."

"There will be paperwork for you to sign, but it should be fairly straightforward. You're her sole executrix."

"Thanks." I could see that she was a little nervous about something, and I waited quietly until she spoke again. "Look … um … I was wondering whether you know of any good local property management companies?"

"Why?"

"I've spoken to Jason, and he's happy for me to do it, but I'm-going-to-let-out-Gran's-house." She said the last part of the sentence almost as one word.

"I'm sorry, what?" my tone was harsher than I intended it to be, but then I was fairly sure she was saying that she was leaving again.

She sighed and shut her eyes briefly. "Eric, I'm going back to New York, so I want to let Gran's house."

"You're running away again?"

"I'm going home," she snapped back. Her voice was loud and I was grateful that I had sent Dawn home for the day.

"This is your home," I yelled back.

"It hasn't been my home for seven years!"

"You always were so quick to leave." My tone was biting, and I stood up tuning my back on her.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

I turned back to her, and she stood up to face me. "It means, Sookie, that you never gave us a fucking chance."

"What?"

"You were so quick to suggest that we split up."

"You went along with me! You never once fought for our relationship." She was almost growling at me, and I could see that she was angry from her tightly clenched fists.

"Because I knew there was no point trying to change your mind! I know you, Sookie. You'd already decided that we were over. There was nothing that I could have done to change that."

I paced a little, not facing her as I clenched my hand into my hair. She waited until I was facing her before speaking.

"I wanted you to challenge me," she whispered, and I could see the moisture pooling in her big blue eyes. She went to sit back down in her seat and I knelt down in front of her.

"Sookie, I never wanted you to go. My suggestion would have been that we both cut back on our work; that we worked at our relationship. I didn't want us to end." I felt a traitorous tear slip down my own cheek and I wiped it quickly away. "But I guess I also knew that you always wanted to go New York. I felt like I was standing in your way."

"You were more important."

"Obviously not."

She didn't argue back, but neither one of us said anything for a few moments. "I came back."

That got my attention. "What? When?" I couldn't see her expression as she was facing away from me.

"Six months after I left."

"Why didn't you come and see me?"

"I did," she said with a little sob. "I went to your parents' house expecting you there as it was Saturday night, but Pam told me you were at some club in Shreveport. When I got there I saw you straight away."

"Why didn't you come over?" I interrupted.

"Because you were surrounded by three women. I seem to remember that one was practically dry humping your leg while another two were hanging on your every word. Pam said that you were enjoying your bachelor life; who was I to interrupt you?" I was going to kill my sister.

"You were the woman I loved; the woman I tried to replace with so many others. I'll admit that I went a little off the rails when you left, but it was only you that I wanted."

I hated that it had taken seven years for us to finally have this talk. Things would have been so different if we had both been more honest and forthcoming with each other. The fact was that we probably both tried to put the happiness of the other ahead of ourselves.

She stood up and I matched her movement, blocking the exit with my larger frame. "Don't go," I finally said, taking a step closer to her.

"I can't stay."

"Please."

"You have a girlfriend, Eric. I'm not doing this, and I'm not going to wreck your relationship. It's over, Eric. Yes, we made mistakes seven years ago and we shouldn't have split up, but we did. I'm going back to New York." I knew – just as I did seven years earlier – that there was no changing her mind. I went to sit back behind my desk, and I looked through the papers so not to meet her gaze.

"I'll need you address, email and a contact telephone number as I'll have to FedEx the documents to you for signature. Make sure they're witnessed before you send them back." I finally lifted my head to look into her eyes, and I could see the torment behind them. It made me feel slightly better that she was finding this as hard as I was.

When she sat back down at the desk, I passed her a pad of paper and she scribbled down all the details I'd asked for.

"I do know of a good agent who will be able to let your house out. Her name is Sophie-Anne LeClerq; I'll pass your details on to her if you can leave me the keys."

"I will do," she whispered. Neither one of us said anything for a few moments, until she stood up. "I should go, Eric."

"Don't."

She took a deep shuddering breath. "I am."

I silently walked with her and showed her out of the office. I watched painfully as she almost ran towards her car and climbed into the passenger side before the car exited quickly out of the parking lot. I walked purposefully back to my office, shutting the door behind me before I kicked the garbage can across the room and sank down against the wall.

I didn't quite understand what had happened, and I certainly didn't understand what I was feeling. But the one thing I knew was that I didn't want her to leave. The question was: what did that mean for me? Did it mean I still had feelings for her? Things had become more and more complicated since she'd returned, and I couldn't deny that she'd been on my mind no matter how hard I tried not to think about her.

But she was leaving. Again. And I loved Isabel.

The only problem was that I think I was still in love with Sookie as well.

After she'd left I'd gone into Shreveport and met up with Alcide for a few beverages. It meant that I was a little later going into the office the next morning than I normally was, and I when I finally got there, Dawn handed me a heavy envelope.

"This was hand delivered this morning. I'm guessing it's for you."

The outer envelope had been opened and I saw some paperwork and a set of keys. Which meant that I knew exactly what it was. The keys to Sookie's house. There was also a sealed letter inside in a smaller white envelope marked for my attention. I handed the larger envelope and keys to Dawn, asking her to put them in the safe, but I went to the sanctuary of my office to read her letter.

_Eric_

_I couldn't say goodbye to you again, I'm sorry. _

_But I wish you all the best. I want you to be happy, and I hope that you will be with Isabel. _

_Take care_

_Sx_

I turned over the note to see if there was more written, but that was the extent of her goodbye letter, and I got the feeling that she would not be back to Bon Temps.

I only hoped that I'd be okay with that.

.

.

It was December and colder than I'd remembered from previous winters. After parking my car in its usual spot, I walked into the warmth of the house, a little surprised that I didn't hear music or the TV as was normally the case when Izzy was already home. I went upstairs to change out of my suit and pull on a pair of more comfortable jeans and a long-sleeved sweater. When I went back downstairs I was surprised to Isabel sitting on her own at the kitchen table.

"Iz, what is it? Is something wrong?"

"Sit down, Eric." She pointed to the chair opposite from her and across the table. I did as she asked. "I have something I need to say to you, and I need you to listen fully to me."

"Okay …" I was a little worried about what she was going to say, and I could see a seriousness in her eyes, which wasn't normally there.

"God, I don't know how to do this," she said more to herself than me. She took a deep composing breath and raised her head. "Eric, what I need to say is that I can't continue like this. I –"

"What?" I interrupted, "what do you mean?"

"Please let me finish." I nodded for her continue despite being sure I wasn't going to like what she had to say. "I love you, Eric. I think I always loved you. But I knew right from the start that you had a difficult past. It took you a while to open up to me, but you eventually told me about Sookie. And I accepted that. I knew she'd always be a part of your past, but I expected her to stay there."

She took another deep breath before continuing. "Everything changed when she came back; you changed. It wasn't obvious at first, but the longer she stayed, the further you drifted away from me." I tried to protest, but she silenced me. "I know that you don't realise you've done it. I don't think that it's a conscious thing on you part, but while she was here I noticed a change in you. And I hoped like hell that you'd go back to normal when she left, but you didn't. You got worse. You miss her."

I didn't know what to say, but if I was being brutally honest with myself, I knew she was accurate in her assumption.

"Something happened between the two of you when she left."

"I didn't cheat on you."

"I know you didn't. At least not physically."

"What do you mean by that?" I didn't appreciate her accusation.

"I mean that although you may not have even kissed her, I know something happened between the two of you; something you have never told me about. Cheating isn't just about physical interaction, it can be emotional as well. You've been moping around since she left, and I have tried so hard to give you the support, love and space that you need to get over this, but it's not working." I could see the tears in her eyes.

"Isabel…"

"You say her name in your sleep, Eric." I knew that I dreamt often of her, but I didn't know I did that. I hung my head in shame. "I know that you love her."

"I love you." My voice was strained.

"I know you do. But I deserve better than this. I want you, Eric. Fuck, I want you so much, but I want you to want _only_ me. I want you to either commit to me one hundred per cent, or …" she left the comment hanging in the air.

"Or you want us to break up," I finished for her.

"I don't _want_ us to break up, Eric. But if you can't be with me fully then I am not going to wait around for you. It's not fair to me."

I didn't know what to do or say. I'd been trying my best not to think about Sookie. And I had thought that I'd done a good job in not letting Isabel realise how much her departure had affected me, but obviously she'd seen straight through my charade. But what now? How did she expect me to get over Sookie like that?

"Is she the reason you hadn't proposed to me?" she said suddenly, drawing me from my thoughts.

"What? No."

"Eric, I hadn't exactly been subtle about wanting to marry you in the year before she came back."

"I wasn't ready, but I'll happily marry you now …"

"I'm not going to marry you off the back of some argument," she snapped. "And my question is why weren't you ready? Because I'm pretty damn sure that this is to do with her as well."

"No, it wasn't." I hoped I was telling the truth.

"I'm not sure that I believe that," she said sadly.

I sighed and reached across the table to take her hand. "I don't know what you want me to do."

She wiped the tears from her eyes with her sleeve. "You need to make a decision which one of us you want. And I get that you can't do that from Louisiana, so go and see her. Talk things out, hell, fuck her if you have to, but make a decision and make it good."

"Isabel…"

"I mean it, Eric. I can't carry on like this. I want all of you. And if I can't have all of you then …"

"Then you want me to leave you."

She nodded. "Yes."

"Izzy, I don't want this to happen. I love you."

"I know, but it's not enough right now. Go and see her. You can give me your decision when you come back."

She stood up from the table to leave the kitchen, but I didn't let her. I pulled her tightly into my arms as we both cried. I wiped away the tears from her cheeks and led her upstairs to the bedroom where I stripped off our clothes and we made love.

It was just strange how much it felt like I was saying goodbye to her.

* * *

><p><strong>So, is Eric going to go to New York? What will he find if he does? Did Eric and Sookie go about telling each other the truth in the best manner? Is Isabel doing the right thing in making Eric decide?<strong>

**I'd love to know your thoughts.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Thanks for your reviews of the last chapter. In this chapter I'm righting a wrong from the books …**

* * *

><p><strong>Sookie<strong>

"It's too late to back out, right?"

I was sitting at my dressing table while Amelia was finishing off putting my hair up into an intricate up-do.

"Yes, it is. Look, I know you're not keen on going, but you need to get out of this house, and Quinn seems like a good guy."

I snorted. "You do realise I only agreed to go out with him to get off my back right?"

I hadn't really been out much in New York since returning from Louisiana, but the weekend before Amelia, Tray and I had gone out to a bar we used to often frequent. Quinn was a friend of Tray's, and he came up to speak to Tray and seemingly latched onto me. In truth, I wasn't interested in dating, but the attention Quinn gave me was flattering so I finally relented and agreed to let him take me out.

"Sook, if you really don't want to go then don't go."

I sighed. "Well I'm ready now. And hungry, so I may as well go out."

Amelia had persuaded me to wear my favourite red dress. It was figure hugging and I'd loved it the moment I saw it, even if it did cost far too much. I'd paired it with a black pantyhose and knee-high black heeled boots to keep warm and my feet dry. A knock at the door indicated Quinn's arrival.

"See, he's keen," Amelia said gently, giving me a hug. It was still ten minutes before he was due to pick me up.

I picked up my purse and coat and headed to the door. Only it wasn't Quinn. It was Eric. And he looked rough, certainly rougher than I'd ever seen him. He was unshaven and I could see the dark circles under his eyes, which themselves were a little red.

"Eric?" I heard Amelia gasp from behind me. "What are you doing here?" It was taking a huge amount of effort to remain calm.

"I needed to see you." His eyes finally left my face and he took in the outfit I was wearing. "You're about to go out."

I swallowed thickly. "I am; I have a date."

I noticed the tension in his jaw, and he leaned with one muscled arm against the doorjamb. "Can I see you tomorrow then? I need to talk to you."

I was torn; did I still go out with Quinn? It was a first date, after all. But then I also knew that knowing Eric had shown up on my doorstep would play on my mind heavily during the date, and that wasn't really fair to Quinn.

"Look, come on in. I'll go and get changed."

"I don't want to spoil your plans." There was a hint of malice in his voice, and it was evident he didn't mean it.

"Just come in." I led him into the apartment I shared with Amelia, who gave me a smile and a nod as I led him into the living room. She at least believed I was doing the right thing. "I'll just be a few minutes. Can I get you anything?"

"No, thanks."

I left him alone and went back to my bedroom, slipping off my red dress and climbing into a more comfortable pair of yoga pants and my favourite fitted Rolling Stones t-shirt. I also washed off my makeup and pulled the pins out of my hair so that it was in loose waves around my shoulders.

"I remember that t-shirt," Eric said with a smile as I walked into the living room. I had completely forgotten that I had often worn it when we were together, and I scolded myself for not choosing something a little more appropriate. The problem was that Eric being in my home seemed very comfortable. "Not that you didn't look good in your red dress. Whoever he is would have been very lucky to be going out with you."

I shrugged off his compliment, not wanting to spend too much time thinking about it. "It was a first date, and I only met him last week. I can't say I really wanted to go anyway."

Eric was sitting on one end of the large comfortable sofa, so I took the matching chair and wrapped my legs underneath myself. "Eric, why are you here?" I asked.

Eric looked down at his hands and took a deep breath. "I …"

He was interrupted by a loud, obnoxious knock on the door, and I couldn't help but roll my eyes at Quinn's appalling timing. I heard Amelia going to the door and telling Quinn that I wasn't feeling well, so needed to cancel, however he obviously wasn't buying it and demanded to see me.

"Stay here," I said to Eric quietly before I left the room and shut the door behind me.

Quinn was dressed in a thick black leather jacket, with light-blue ripped jeans and white sports shoes. He certainly wasn't dressed for a nice date, and I wondered where he had been planning to take me for dinner.

"Sookie … are you going out with me dressed like that?"

Well that got my back up. I could see that Amelia wasn't impressed either. "No, I'm not. And that's because I'm not going out with you. I'm sorry, but I need to cancel."

"You're cancelling on me," he repeated back to me. "I bought you flowers and everything." He thrust a limp bunch of flowers towards me, which I accepted.

"Why thank you. And I am sorry I can't go out with you." I was determined to keep it polite.

"Your loss," he said with a shrug before leaning down to whisper something into my ear. "I'm a tiger in the sack."

I stood there dumbfounded as he walked away before Amelia closed the door. "I need to speak to Tray about his class of friend. That guy is an asshole." She took the flowers from me. "And look, he left the price on. You're apparently worth all of three dollars fifty."

"Nice to know," I said with a smile, however my mind was on other things – namely Eric.

"I'm going to go and see Tray so you to have the place to yourself, but if you need to talk, give me a call."

"Thanks, Amelia."

"No problem. I'll be out of your hair in a minute. Go and sort things out, Sookie." She gave me a little shove towards the living room. I took a moment to compose myself before going back to the living room.

Eric was standing at the side of the room and looking at the pictures Amelia and I had on our wall. We'd both created large framed compilations of those who were closest to us.

"You have a picture of me," he commented without turning around. I knew which one he meant. It was probably taken only a few months before we split at a family barbeque in Bon Temps and featured Gran, Jason, his parents, Pam and the two of us. It was one of my fondest memories of those last few months, so it seemed right to add it to the picture board.

"Yes."

"That was a good day." I could hear the sadness in his voice both from the loss of my Gran and his parents, along with our breakup. He turned around to face me. "How did it get to this? How did things go so wrong?"

"There's no simple answer to that." I sat back down in the chair and Eric resumed his spot on the sofa. "Does Isabel know you're here?" I had to ask that question as it'd been on my mind since he arrived.

He sighed. "Yes."

"Did you guys split up?" I didn't know what I wanted his answer to be.

"Not really … it's complicated."

"I think I need to know."

He looked up at me. "You're right, you do. This whole mess comes from us not telling each other everything." He ran his hand through his hair. "After you left in September I tried to go on as if nothing had happened; I tried to continue as normal, to be a good boyfriend to Izzy. But the fact was that I wasn't."

That surprised me to some extent. They had always seemed to be happy together that I assumed he'd remain happy with her.

He continued. "A few days ago she called me on my behaviour. She told me that she'd tried to give me time to get over you, but she knew that I hadn't. It seems I apparently talk in my sleep." There was a resignation in his voice that I didn't understand.

"What behaviour was she referring to?"

"She'd picked up that I'd changed when you came back. And apparently things only got worse after you left. She quite rightly told me that I wasn't being fair to her; that she wanted me to love only her."

Love only her, meaning that he still loved me. I could feel a panic rising within me, and I really wished Amelia hadn't left to go to Tray's, as I really need her calming influence.

"So why are you here?" My voice was little louder than a whisper.

"We've been talking. She basically gave me an ultimatum; I have to either get over you and commit to her, or …" He trailed off, his eyes fixed on a spot on the carpet in front of him.

"Or what, Eric?" I asked gently.

He took a deep breath and met my gaze. "Or we split up. She says I have to choose between the two of you."

I didn't know what to think or say, and I hated that I was in some way responsible for his relationship troubles. However, nothing had happened between Eric and me other than the few times we'd talked, so I didn't feel that I was to blame. This was on him not me. But the question was; if Eric and Isabel split up, where would that leave me?

"I don't even know if I can be with you," I told him.

He looked up again. "That doesn't surprise me. A lot has changed between us, but I know I've not been fair to Izzy. It's not right for me to love another woman while I'm with her."

He'd just admitted that he loved me. And I knew perfectly well that on some level I still loved him. It was just a damned site more complicated than that.

"Do you love Isabel?"

"Yes, I do."

"Then do you think that I'd want to be with a man who loved another woman?" I could hear the strain in my own voice.

"That's different, Sook. Christ, I haven't even kissed you for well over seven years, yet from the moment you turned up in Bon Temps I couldn't get you out of my head. Even before that I thought of you far too often to be healthy. And that wasn't to say that I was unhappy with Isabel, as I really was." He smiled a little to himself. "You know, she asked me if you were the reason that I'd never proposed to her … I denied it at the time, but she was right. I always used to wonder if you'd come back, and I'd have this fantasy where you'd split from Bill and decided you wanted me back."

I really didn't know what to think about what he was telling me. I'd been happy with Bill, and for the most part, I didn't think about Eric. But here he was telling me that even years later he still hoped I'd go back to him.

"I do love Isabel," he continued. "She's my best friend; my confidant. But I think the difference is that where I've been torturing myself over the last three months wondering if you'd met someone else, if I think about Isabel and someone else, I just want her to be happy. She deserves better than me."

He leaned back into the sofa and closed his eyes. I was so confused. It had been hell for me after leaving his office that day. I'd wanted him to beg me to stay when I first left him. But hearing him say this to me now was heart breaking. I knew months ago in his office that there was still so much between us, and I knew the only way that I was going to stay sane was to put a thousand miles between us.

I'd practically ran out of his office, and I'd been glad that Amelia was in the driving seat of my car as I was certainly in no fit state to drive. When we got back to Gran's house Amelia held on to me while I cried for what felt like hours. I knew that I wanted him, but I couldn't break up his relationship, and I didn't even know if we could be together again.

I also hadn't planned on leaving Louisiana so quickly, but I couldn't stay. Therefore Amelia and I worked hard that afternoon and evening to make the house liveable, cleaning all surfaces and making sure there were no personal belongings left in the house. The next morning I drove to Eric's office, relieved that he wasn't there and handed the envelope to his secretary. I'd written him a short note, but I'd gone through at least ten drafts before I settled on something short and simple.

I looked over at Eric to see that he hadn't moved, but I could tell his breathing was deep and a little laboured. I did still love him; I knew that. I think he knew it as well. But so much had passed between us, and we lived in different states. Would he be willing to move to New York? Would I be happy again in Louisiana?

"Isabel already knows what the outcome of this will be," he said suddenly, his eyes still shut. "Even if you tell me that you never want to see me again, it won't change anything. It's not right for me to keep on leading her on like this." He moved to sit up, his eyes intense on mine. "Not when I'm in love with you."

"Eric…" I didn't know how to finish that sentence, so I left it hanging in the air. He sighed and stood up.

"I can see you have some thinking to do. Can I take you out to dinner tomorrow night?"

I nodded. "Sure. I know a great Thai restaurant that you'll love." We'd always both loved Thai food, and used to go to one in Shreveport often.

"Let me know what time you want me to come by. I'm staying in a hotel not too far away." He handed me a business card with his cell phone number on it.

"I will do, I'll call them now. I know the owner, so hopefully she can get us a table." I followed him towards the door where he turned to face me once more. I could see that he was searching my eyes for some kind of answer, but I wasn't even sure myself what that would be. "Get some sleep; you look like you need it."

He shrugged. "I haven't really slept much the last few days. Things on my mind," he gave me a beautiful smile that almost made me weak at the knees. "Come here."

I couldn't stop myself but move towards him, and he wrapped his arms tightly around my shoulders as I rested my head on his chest. It felt so right, but I also knew how wrong it was, how hurt Isabel was going to be.

After a minute or so he released his arms and I stepped back. "I should go. I already don't want to, but it's probably best. I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Yes."

He leaned down and placed a kiss on my forehead before heading out into the corridor and to the stairs. As soon as I could see him no longer, I went back inside and called up Indira, who was the owner of the Thai Orchid. Luckily she'd just had a cancellation so was able to fit Eric and me in. I sent Eric a quick text message about where we were going, and what time he should come and pick me up.

After I got his acknowledgement I went into my room and climbed under the covers. I had so much to think about, and I really wasn't sure what to do. I'd always wanted Eric to turn up at my door, certainly in those first couple of years in New York. But now? With all the baggage we both had?

When I had left Louisiana the second time I was so sure that I'd never see him again. Now, after seeing him once more, I wasn't sure that I could keep my distance from him.

.

**Eric**

After leaving Sookie's apartment, I walked the couple of blocks to the hotel I'd booked into and I went straight to the bathroom. I shaved before taking a long relaxing soak in the bath. I'd certainly been stressed these last few days since my conversation with Isabel, but things had probably gone better with Sookie than I'd expected them to. I'd been fearful that she'd slam the door in my face, or listen to what I had to say and then kick me out. And I wasn't sure how much more of that I could take.

After I climbed out of the bath and dried myself, I went to call Isabel. I felt that it was only fair I told her what was going on. However, she didn't pick up on the house phone, so I called her cell. She picked up after five rings.

"_Hey Eric."_

"Hey Iz, are you not at home? You didn't pick up the landline when I called."

I heard her take a deep breath. _"No, Eric, I'm not at your house."_

"My house? Izzy …"

"_I moved out. I'm at my sister's place in Monroe."_

"Isabel …"

"_What? I know what you're going to tell me."_ I could hear the emotion in her voice, and I didn't doubt that she was in tears. I knew that I was close.

"I didn't want it to finish like this."

"_And neither did I. But Eric I knew as soon as I gave you that ultimatum that this is how it would end. And I'm sure you did too. Would you stay with me and carry on leading me on?"_

She knew me well. "No, I wouldn't."

"_Then this was always going to happen. I wish you all the best, Eric. I hope she realises how much you are worth it." _I hoped she did as well.

"I want you to be happy too, Izzy. You're my best friend."

"_I'm sorry, but I think us being friends again is a little way off. Let me heal first, hey?"_ I wiped a stray tear from my cheek. _"I love you, Eric. And I hope that one day I'll meet someone I love as much if not more."_

"I hope you do as well. And I do love you too…"

"_Only not enough. I get it."_ She took a deep breath. _"I posted your keys back through the door, and I'd be grateful if you gave me a little space."_

"Of course. Take care."

"_Bye Eric."_

"Bye Isabel," I said into the phone despite the fact that she'd already cut me off.

I felt like shit for hurting Isabel like that, but she was right in saying that it was probably inevitable. If she hadn't called me on my behaviour I probably would have carried on with her, and I was sure that in time I would heal enough to finally move on from Sookie. But that wouldn't have been fair to her, and I respected her bravery so much. I think ultimately she was stronger than I was.

My sleep was fitful and interrupted, with images going through my head of both Sookie and Isabel. The next day after a hearty breakfast I wandered around New York and picked up a new dark grey Tom Ford suit, since I'd not really thought about what to bring when I packed the day before to fly here. I'd spoken to Pam to tell her what had happened between the two of us, and she was hugely supportive and managed to calm some of my fears.

On the way to pick up Sookie I bought her a beautiful bouquet of pink and purple orchids, knowing they were her favourite flower. I had to buzz their apartment to be let into the building, and Amelia met me at the door when I reached their floor. I didn't doubt that I'd be getting a few choice words from her friend, but it actually surprised me what she said.

"I'd tell you to treat her well, but I think you know that." I nodded and gave her a faint smile. "Just remember that Sookie can sometimes be her own worst enemy. She's stubborn, as I'm sure you know, and I'm almost certain she'll do something to try to push you away, but you can't let her. She loves you, she's told me as much, but she feels guilty that Isabel will end up hurt. And you know she has a tendency to run if things get uncomfortable." I certainly did know that.

"Amelia, I love her. I have no intentions of letting her push me away."

"Good. Now wait here, I'll go and get her."

Amelia smiled and walked off while I remained standing in their hallway with Sookie's bunch of flowers in my hand. When she finally emerged she looked a vision. She was in red, although it was a different dress to the one she'd been wearing the night before. It was skin-tight and hugged every one of her delicious curves, with long sleeves and a deep scoop neck that showed just enough of her ample cleavage.

"Wow," was all I could say as she approached.

"Are those for me?" she asked with a beautiful smile and gesturing to the long-forgotten flowers in my hand.

"Of course, I know they're your favourites."

"They are," she said with a smile. "And not a price tag in sight." I gave her a querying look. "Quinn last night turned up with a limp bunch of carnations that cost all of three dollars fifty."

"He spent that much? Shit, he's put me to shame." Of course, she knew I was joking and she gave me a winning smile.

"You look better."

"You're saying I didn't look good yesterday?" I tried to look offended, but I knew that I failed miserably.

"Honestly, Eric, you looked like shit yesterday."

I sighed. "I slept a little better than I had in previous weeks," I told her before pausing. "Isabel left me." I thought it was probably best to get that out in the open as soon as possible.

"Shit, I'm sorry Eric." She had genuine concern in her eyes.

"She was right to. She doesn't deserve to be with a man who's in love with someone else." I met her eyes fiercely.

"We should go," she said, trying to avoid the intensity between us.

"Of course."

She grabbed a long black coat and scarf to ward her from the biting New York temperature, and once outside she hailed a taxi to take us to the Thai restaurant. The place was beautiful, and decorated in hues of deep red and green and accentuated with golds. I could see why she liked this place so much. We were shown to a private table at the back of the restaurant and handed our menus. I ordered us a nice bottle of Sauvignon Blanc while we perused the extensive list before deciding on one of the set meals. It was meant to be for three people, but Sookie was well aware of my appetite.

"I've been thinking a lot today," she said after we'd ordered. "But I don't think I am any clearer on what the right thing is to do it. We live in different states."

I shrugged. "I can move. I have experience, I'm certain I could find a job."

She was giving me a slightly startled look. "But you hate New York."

"In all fairness, the only time I'd been to New York before was when I was ten years old and was dragged around the shops with my mom. It's really not what a ten-year-old boy wants to do."

She smiled, knowing that tale well. "But what about your practice in Bon Temps? You can't just leave it like that." I didn't know whether she was being concerned or trying to find a way to keep me away.

"Things had been getting really busy anyway, and I'd been looking for an associate to expand the practice. He started not long after you left. Russell is from Mississippi, and was previously a partner in a larger firm, but has moved to Bon Temps for the quiet life. He's perfectly capable of running things while I'm gone. And I'm not going to let you find excuses."

"It's not that. I just don't want to drag you all this way when I know you don't want to be here."

"I want to be where you are." I leaned across the table and took her hand. "I want us to give this a chance. Whatever _this_ is." I gestured between the two of us. "I know things are difficult, and I'm not at all going to suggest that we jump into bed with each other. But it's obvious we still have strong feelings for each other, and if I have to move to New York to be near you, then that's what I'm going to do."

"I appreciate that Eric, but…"

"Don't," I interrupted, not wanting to hear her making excuses. "Don't end this before you've given me a chance." I was prepared to beg if I had to.

"I wasn't going to say that." She brought my hand to her lips and placed a soft kiss on my knuckles before releasing it.

"What were you going to say?"

She smiled. "I was going to say that I think I'd like to move back to Louisiana. Only I'm kind of homeless since my house is rented out."

"You know you can stay with me."

"True, but I can also stay at Jason's. It's not as if he's using his house."

"I didn't think you wanted to be in Louisiana. You were kind of quick to leave before."

She took a deep breath. "I think we both know the circumstances were different then."

"I thought I'd see you again before you left," I said gently.

"I couldn't, Eric. What was said in your office … knowing that you never wanted us to split up … it was all too much. And it wasn't as if we could do anything about it. I never wanted you and Isabel to split up because of me."

"It's not your fault I couldn't get over you." I sighed. "I think in some ways she was maybe part of my grieving process, both for my parents and from you. I needed someone like her, and I probably used the hell out of her. But Sookie, I am certain that it will always be you."

She smiled and closed her eyes momentarily.

"You know, I was genuinely happy with Bill." I couldn't help but scowl at his name. "Stop it. He's my friend now, and if we're going to have anything here, you're going to have to get along with him." For her I supposed that I could do that. "But I think I always knew it was never going to last forever. He was probably also what I needed at the time. Someone so completely different to you. But I did love him, as you did Isabel."

"Yet here we are."

"Exactly."

"What about your work? I don't want you to go jacking in your career. You always wanted to be in the big city."

"You're right; I did. But I've done that now, and my time in Louisiana made me realise how much I missed home. And surprisingly, the arrangement actually worked really well with my writing. I almost think my editor was pissed at me for moving back!"

"You'd move home?"

She took a deep breath. "Yes, I will. But we're going to work at this slowly. I do love you, Eric, I really do, but I don't want us to fuck up anything. And anyway, you've just come out of a three-year relationship. You need some time."

She was probably right.

"What do you say," I suggested, holding out my hand to her to shake her. "Friends?"

"It's a great place to start."

* * *

><p><strong>So, a step in the right direction, but still a long way to go. Is Sookie doing the right thing in returning to Louisiana? Is it too soon?<strong>

**I'd love to know your thoughts.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Sookie**

In all honesty, I didn't quite know where my decision to move back to Louisiana came from. Certainly, before I left when I'd been talking things through with Amelia, me moving back to Louisiana to be with him wasn't one of the options we considered. Yet here I was, agreeing to head back with him, and surprisingly not freaking out about it.

Maybe I had matured.

"What are your plans for Christmas?" he asked me, pulling me from my thoughts.

"I don't really have any. I'd hoped that Jason would be back, but he can't get the leave. Bill's invited me to have lunch with him and Judith as Amelia is going to Tray's family in New Jersey. But nothing is set in stone. I'd be more than happy to just veg out in front of the TV"

"Come home." The look in his eyes was sincere.

"If I'm going to move back I'll need to give work some notice. I can't just up and leave like I did when Gran was sick."

The fact was that I'd already asked my boss what would happen about me making a return to Louisiana, and she'd told me it would probably be okay, but she wanted a few weeks' notice this time. I didn't really know why I'd asked her, as at the time I had absolutely no intention of returning, but I was glad that I had done.

His thumb was gently stroking the back of my hand. "Just for Christmas then. Spend the day with Pam and me. I don't like the thought of you being alone."

"I wouldn't be if I were at Bill's." He simply raised an eyebrow, knowing that I'd know his opinion of that. I rolled my eyes. "I'll check the flight times, though they may be hard to get at this time of year."

"Sookie, I will come and get you myself if I have to." It was my turn to raise an eyebrow. "I just don't want you here on your own. This will be your first Christmas without your Gran, and believe me when I say I know how hard that is."

I'd been trying not to think about that, but I knew he was right. "Sure, I'll be there. But I'm staying at Jason's."

"Sook, if you're only coming back for a few days, is it really worth getting all the utilities reconnected? Wait until you move back for good, and stay with me for Christmas. I have plenty of rooms, and I can behave myself. We're starting off as friends, Sook, and I'm not going to do anything to jeopardise this."

I had to admit that I could see the logic in Eric's proposal, even if I didn't necessarily think it was a good idea. He had only just split from Isabel, and I didn't know whether his house would still have remnants of her living there.

"You're probably right. I just … I guess I worry that even that is too soon considering you're break up from Isabel."

"I know. And I respect you for thinking of that. I agree that it is too early for me to go jumping into another relationship, and I need some time to sort things through. But I have never stopped caring for you, Sook, and you staying with me for Christmas comes from that."

"Sure," I said with a smile. Our food arrived not long after and was as delicious as I remembered it to be. Eric ate a huge amount, and I remembered with a smile quite how much work it used to be to keep the man fed and sated. In more ways than one.

We spent the evening catching up, and by the end of the night we were laughing and joking around like old friends. I had to admit that I hadn't been very cheerful in the three months since Gran had died and I'd left Louisiana, so it was a real relief to let my hair down and enjoy myself.

Eric walked me back to my apartment right back to the door before he finally stopped. "Thank you," he said in a low and emotional voice as he leaned down to kiss my forehead.

"For what?" I stared up into his pale blue eyes.

"I was fearful that I wouldn't get a good reception from you. Thank you for giving me another chance."

I took a deep breath. "I realised that in some ways I made a mistake in running from Louisiana as quickly as I did, but I just didn't think I could face seeing you with Isabel, and I wasn't going to be that woman to break the two of you up."

"I knew that. In all honesty if you had stayed I don't know what the hell I'd have done. I was in love with both of you, albeit in very different ways." He gave me a soft smile.

"Which is why you need to take the time to get over her. It's not even as if you can hate her for anything, because if you ask me she's a freaking saint."

He smiled. "You're probably right there. I truly hope she meets someone that can make her as happy as you make me."

I leaned my head on his chest for a moment and listened to his heartbeat. "You know at some point we may also want to talk about what actually happened between us. I think we need to if we want to move on."

"I know." His chest expanded and he blew out a deep breath. "Just not yet. Let's get through Christmas and wait until you come back home."

"How long are you staying here?" I had to admit that I didn't want him to leave straight away.

"I hadn't really made plans. Do you want me to go?" His eyes were searching mine.

"Well, I have to work on Monday, but I don't have plans tomorrow. Why don't I show you around?"

"Will you promise not to drag me around the shops?" He had a gorgeous twinkle in his eye.

"No, I won't," I said with a grin. "But I can make sure that you enjoy it more than you did as a kid."

"Sounds like a deal. I can fly back on Monday. What time shall I meet you tomorrow?"

"How's nine? We can go for breakfast."

"I'll see you then." I couldn't keep the grin off my face, and Eric leaned down to place a chaste kiss on my lips.

"Bye Sookie."

I said goodbye to him as well as I watched him walk away, and I finally went back into the apartment once I could see him no longer. I went into the kitchen to make myself a mug of hot chocolate, and Amelia joined me.

"Good then? You have a smile on your face."

I took a deep breath. I wasn't sure what her reaction would be to me moving back to Louisiana, as I knew she like having me living with her. "We're going to make a go of it."

"Really? That's great."

I smiled. "It is. Only I can't really do that from here. I'm going there for Christmas and then I'm moving back." I checked her expression to make sure she wasn't too horrified. "I'm sure my editor will be okay with it, but I don't like to leave you here on your own."

"Sook, you don't need to worry about me. And anyway, I was going to talk to you about Tray moving in anyway. I'm sure the three of us would have been okay, but if you're leaving anyway, I have nothing to worry about." She gave me a wide smile.

"You mean you don't have to worry about me walking in on you and Tray naked and fucking on the sofa?"

"That only happened once!" she defended.

"Yes and your ass will be permanently burned on my retinas!"

"Cow!" She wrapped an arm around my shoulders.

"You're sure you don't mind?"

"Of course not. And know you will always have a home here if you need it. Sookie, really, I think this is what you need. I saw how you were with him over the summer, and the fact is that seven years after you guys split; you obviously both still have very strong feelings for each other. Go get him."

.

I was a little nervous the next morning waiting for Eric to turn up. I had the coffee pot already going and I was on my second cup of coffee when he knocked on the door.

"Hey. Want a coffee first?"

"Sure. I didn't sleep too well last night." He did look tired.

"You okay?"

He slipped off his black woollen jacket to reveal dark, well-fitting jeans and a pale blue sweater that matched his eyes. He looked damn good.

"I've just been thinking about us … this." He took a deep breath. "I don't want to screw this up – not everyone gets a second chance."

"I'm with you on that one. And believe me when I say that I don't want to screw it up either. But I think if we take it slow and are completely honest with each other, then there's nothing we have to worry about." I passed him a mug of coffee along with the creamer and a large bowl of sugar. "Will that be enough for you?"

"Funny." I watched him place two spoonfuls of sugar into his coffee, before he comically decided on adding another two.

"You do see your dentist regularly, right?" I teased.

"Yes. And there is nothing wrong with my teeth."

"Isn't it a bit early?" We both turned to see Amelia standing in the doorway to the kitchen, luckily wearing her dressing gown. "You two are too damned perky for such an ungodly hour on a Sunday."

"Here, have some coffee." I handed her a mug, which she accepted and downed half of it in one gulp.

"So what are you kids up to today?" Amelia asked us both.

Eric turned to me for guidance, and I took the initiative to answer Amelia. "I thought we could do the touristy thing. I've never really done that since living here, so it would be cool to do." I turned back to Eric. "Although I'll warn you that it's going to be hell-like busy this close to Christmas."

"That'd fine. I'm happy to let you guide me. And I'd like to pick you up a little something, so if you see anything you like, let me know."

"You don't need to get me a Christmas present."

"I want to."

"Well, I'm getting you one as well."

"Fine."

"Fine." I crossed my arms across my chest.

"Dear Lord," Amelia interjected, banging her head on the kitchen table. "I'm going back to bed." She stood up and placed a hand on Eric's shoulder. "Look after her."

"I will do. And thank you." I didn't know what that was about, but I didn't want to pry.

After we'd finished the coffee we headed out into the cold and went to get breakfast. We then took a walk around a freezing cold Central Park before heading over to the Rockefeller to view the tree. We even both went ice-skating – something neither one of us had done before – so it was quite hilarious as the two of us grabbed onto each other to stay upright. It was safe to say that we both failed miserably.

Eric was insistent on buying me a Christmas gift, and at one point asked me to leave him alone for around fifteen minutes. I amused myself in one of the high-end boutiques and ended up buying myself a new wrap-around top before Eric called and we met back up again. As he didn't have any kind of bag I could only assume that he'd bought something small that he could hide in a pocket, and that indicated jewellery. I knew that I was going to have to get him something quite spectacular as well.

The whole day was fantastic and went far too quickly for both of us. We ate in a gorgeous French restaurant in the evening before Eric walked me back to my apartment.

"I really don't want to leave you," he said, resting his head on mine.

"I don't want you to go either. I had a great day today. Thank you."

"You'll be back for Christmas?"

"Yes. I'll let you know my flight times."

"I'll pick you up at the airport."

"Thank you. Call me when you land tomorrow."

"I will do."

I had to admit that I had an incredibly strong urge to invite him inside to continue this, but I was also aware that it was far too early to be taking our relationship any further.

"Take care, Sookie." He pulled me tightly into his arms and I rested my head on his chest. "I love you."

I pulled away from him a little so that I could meet his eyes. "I love you too." I leaned up and pressed a gentle kiss to his lips.

He groaned. "You're not making this easy Sookie."

"Sorry," I said, not really meeting it.

"I'll be going now," he said with a smile, "I'll see you in two weeks." He leaned down and kissed my head before leaving.

I ended up ended up booking my tickets back to Louisiana straight away.

.

Eric woke me up on Christmas morning with a large mug of coffee and a smile on his face. I'd gotten in fairly late the night before, so we hadn't had long to chat before I was falling asleep and I excused myself to his spare room. He was bare-chested and wearing nothing but a Santa hat and a pair of black sleep pants that left very little to the imagination. It was clear that he was more muscular than when I had known him before, and he was in _very_ good shape.

"Merry Christmas, Sookie."

"Back at you. Happy Christmas." I let out a happy sigh as I took a large sip of my coffee. Eric sat down on the edge of the bed.

"Sleep okay?"

"Like a log. Nice hat by the way." He took it off and placed it on my head.

"Can I give you your gift?" he was almost a little nervous.

"Sure."

While he was out of the room I reached under the bed where I'd stowed the gift I brought him. I'd agonised for days over what to get him, but in the end I'd called Pam and asked for her advice.

When he re-entered the room he was carrying a small box wrapped neatly in turquoise paper. "You've learnt to wrap presents?" I teased, remembering how he always used to get me to wrap all the presents, and mine would invariably come in a gift bag or with a lot of sticky tape and an apology.

"I asked Pam to do it," he shrugged. I handed him my present to him, so we could both open them at the same time. "It's heavy. What is it?"

"You do get that if you open it you'll find out?"

He rolled his eyes at my sarcasm and started to peel off the paper while I did the same. I was a little shocked to see a Tiffany box, and I opened it up to see a necklace with a beautiful diamond and pink sapphire pendant. I knew that it wouldn't have been cheap, and I looked up to see that Eric had stopped opening his gift, but was watching me intently.

"It's too much."

"But do you like it?"

I smiled. "I love it, but you shouldn't have spent that much. Thank you."

"You're welcome. And I wanted you to have it. It made me think of you when I saw it, and I don't care about the price."

I knew there was no changing his mind when he was like this. "Open yours."

He continued to pull the paper off and I watched his face as a look of pleasure crossed his handsome features. "You've been speaking to Pam," he said with a smile.

"I had no idea what to get you. She said you were still into photography, so it seemed like the perfect gift. I always loved your pictures."

Eric had always been a fantastic photographer when he was younger, and used to be always taking photos in our spare time. I didn't like to think how many he took of me when we were together. So when Pam suggested I bought him a new lens for his camera I jumped at the chance.

"You know, I know this isn't cheap either."

I gave him a smile and repeated his words. "I don't care about the price." He placed the lens on the bed and leaned over to give me a hug.

"Thank you, Sook. It's just what I wanted." The look in his eye told me that he wasn't just referring to the gift.

I shuffled over to the far side of the bed and picked up my coffee again, indicating for Eric to join me. "Are you okay?" he asked gently as he leaned against the headboard.

"Yeah … I'm fine. But I didn't in a million years think that I'd be here for Christmas morning. I'd been planning on bringing Gran to New York to spend it with me. I can't believe she's gone." Eric placed his coffee down and pulled me into a hug. I knew that it was dangerous being in bed with him in only minimal clothes, but we both kept it very PG-rated. However, that didn't stop me from enjoying the warmth of his body or his unique and familiar earthy scent.

After a while, we both had to get up to get ready as Pam, Stan and the kids were coming over for Christmas dinner. I showered and changed into a long-sleeved dark red jersey dress and met Eric in the kitchen for a little light breakfast. I looked around as I sat down at the kitchen table, and noticed that his kitchen did seem different to when I had first been here six months earlier. I couldn't quite work out what Eric had done, but it seemed to be more like him, and I supposed that Isabel's influence had been removed. In some ways that made me feel a little more comfortable.

"You learnt to cook?" I'd seen on the counter that he was starting to chop vegetables for our dinner.

He smiled. "It was out of necessity. I figured eating takeout every day wasn't the healthiest. I think I got a little used to your home cooking."

My Gran had taught me to cook at an early age, and she'd always encouraged me to make home-cooked meals. Even though Eric and I didn't see much of each other in our last few months together, I had still cooked when I had the time, and I'd always leave something in the fridge for him.

"I think I probably went the other way. Living in New York – there are so many restaurants and take-out places everywhere – I guess I got a little lazy. And Bill liked to eat out, so we often did."

"Are you going to miss New York?" I had to admit that I didn't expect his question. His eyes were searching mine, and there was a seriousness in them.

"I don't know … maybe. I'll miss Amelia and my other friends and work colleagues. Bill as well. But I'm still going to be able to work from here, and despite Gran's illness, I really enjoyed the time I spent in Louisiana over the summer. This is home." I gave him a small smile to let him know I was meaning him when I said that. "And I'm serious about us making a go of it."

Eric came over, stood behind me and wrapped his arms around me. I leaned back against his strong abdomen and closed my eyes. "I'm looking forward to making this right between us. I want this second chance with you."

"I want it to. I was wrong to leave so hastily before … we should have talked more before I made up my mind to leave."

"Maybe it was what we both needed," he placed a kiss on my head. "Maybe it had to work out this way. You know, you don't really appreciate what you have until you don't have it anymore."

"Am I the 'it' you're referring to?" I asked with mock offence.

"Yeap." He released me, and I stood up and wrapped my arms around him.

"Good, because you're the 'it' I missed as well."

Our moment was quickly interrupted by the sound of Ethan thundering into the house, with shouts of 'don't run' coming from both Pam and Stan. Eric quickly donned his Santa hat once more as he scooped up his nephew into his arms. Stan was carrying Charlotte, so Pam came up to my side and gave me a hug.

"Are you doing alright?" she asked me, pulling me away from the men and children.

"Yeah … I'm good actually. It feels right being back."

"You coming back has made him happier than I've seen him in a while."

"We still have a lot to work on," I pointed out.

"And you both know that. But this is good. Be friends right now. And I'm positive he will try and keep it under wraps, but I know that he does feel guilty about the way him and Isabel split. He doesn't like that he's hurt her."

"He's not the only one feeling guilty there." I had certainly felt guilty at times for the way that Eric and Isabel had split, and I knew that without my involvement they probably would still be together.

"Hey, it's hardly your fault. You had to come back to Louisiana for your Gran. And maybe this was inevitable if you and Eric ever spent any amount of time together." She paused briefly. "You both obviously still had feelings for each other, and it was just unfortunate that Izzy got caught up in this. But I'm really glad you're both making an effort with this. You need to work together and be completely honest."

"Don't I know it," I said with a smile.

I looked over to Eric who was still messing around with Ethan, and I was sure that my ovaries were playing jump rope with my fallopian tubes as I watched him playing with him. I'd never really thought about Eric as a father before now, as I'd certainly not been ready for kids when we were together last time. But now we were both older and wiser, and I couldn't help that maternal instinct kicking in as I watched him.

"You know…" Pam started as she leaned into my ear, "you're more than welcome to babysit them both if you want a feel of what it's like." She had a wicked smile on her face, and it was obvious she'd caught me staring at her brother. That and that fact that I was certain she was looking for some adult time with Stan.

"Maybe when I move back," I assured her.

"So, when are you coming back?"

"Early to mid-January. I've got a couple of things I need to get finished before I start up again here. I actually think my editor was quite pleased when I told her I was coming back. It seemed that it worked very well, although I'll probably have to do a fair bit of travelling. Eric's going to hire a van and come and pick me up."

I'd spoken to Jason and he was more than happy for me to live in his house while he was still on active service, and I'd made arrangements for the utilities to be reconnected when I moved back.

Ethan in particular had a great day, and I really hadn't realised how great Christmas could be when there were kids involved. For the most part, Eric and I kept a respectful distance from each other, but we got along well, and acted like old friends. The only hiccup was later on in the evening when Isabel called to speak to Eric. It was a harsh reminder to me that her and Eric had only split up a few weeks before, and my guilt increased in being the one to spend Christmas with him.

Eric was also a little quiet after that, and seemed to shut down. I took the opportunity to call both Amelia and Bill to wish them a happy Christmas, which at least took my mind off things. After I'd finished my calls I was heading back downstairs when I noticed that the door to Eric's room was open and he was lying on the bed and staring at the ceiling. I debated with myself whether to say anything or not, but decided that I couldn't leave him alone if he was hurting.

"Are you okay?" I said from the doorway.

"Not really." He didn't move at all, his gaze still fixed on the ceiling.

"I'm sorry, Eric. I probably shouldn't be here. I don't mean to make things difficult for you."

"I wanted you here, Sook." He sat up on his bed and patted it for me to join him. "I do want you here. I just … I probably shouldn't have told Izzy that you were here. She seemed quite hurt."

"That's understandable. I'm sure I would be if I were in her position."

I could see the confliction in his eyes as he looked at me. "I hate that I'm hurting her … but I love you, Sookie. And I want you by my side. I don't know how to deal with this guilt."

"Have you thought about seeing someone?" I wasn't sure how he'd take that suggestion, as I certainly knew that the Eric I'd known would never admit to needing help.

"Pam said the same. And in all honesty I'm thinking it could be a good idea."

"Well, do it then. I'm happy to come along with you if you want me to."

"Thanks."

He wrapped an arm around me and pulled me to his side. We stayed in that position for a while, both lost in our thoughts, until Pam sent out a search party that is.

I only stayed one more day before I had to head back to New York and start packing up my belongings. I was still sure that moving home was the right decision to make, but Eric's mini break-down over Izzy at Christmas made me realise quite how much we did still have to work on.

.

"So, how are you feeling?"

We'd packed up all my belongings into the van Eric had rented and I'd said an emotional goodbye to Amelia and Tray, as well as Bill and Judith who had also come to see me off.

"Surprisingly good, actually. I feel like I'm making the right decision for once." I knew he knew what I meant.

"I'm glad to hear it. I'm so happy you're coming back, Sook."

"Thanks. How are you doing?"

"I'm better. And I'm sorry for freaking out at Christmas."

"How's the therapy going?"

He'd told me on the phone that he'd started seeing a counsellor, and I was proud of him for not being scared to go and speak to someone.

"Better than I expected it to, actually. It's been good to talk to someone that doesn't know me, and he's helped me to understand that these things happen, and sometimes you have to hurt someone to be with the one you love." He took my hand in his across the centre console as he drove.

We stopped in a hotel in Knoxville, Tennessee, which Eric had calculated was roughly half way. Both of us stayed in separate rooms, although we did go out to dinner together in local bar that really reminded us both of Merlotte's. We took turns in driving, and eventually we pulled up at Jason's house in Bon Temps.

I saw immediately that Eric had obviously spent some time working in the garden to make the place a little more hospitable, and I thanked him with a warm hug. I'd sold my Audi in New York, so Eric had promised to take me car shopping the next day in Shreveport, but for the time being I was vehicle-less as I flat-out refused to drive Jason's ridiculous truck, even if he had given me express consent. We settled on pizza while Eric helped me bring all my possessions back into Jason's house.

It was odd being here, as I hadn't lived in the house since my parents had died some twenty-four years earlier, but Jason had made it his own, and it was more masculine than my own taste allowed for.

Over the next few weeks I didn't see Eric that often. I was busy settling into my new home, and he was busy with work, or seeing his therapist in the evening. We met up a few times – him coming over to see me, or me going over to his house. And for the most part we didn't talk about _us_. We instead talked about our time apart, filling each other in with the parts that we'd missed. We talked about our jobs, our friends, even our relationships to some extent. But we avoided the topic of us, and nothing more happened between us other than a peck on the cheek or a friendly hug.

But even though nothing physical was happening between us, I knew that I was falling more and more in love with him. I found myself looking forward to seeing him, and whenever I received a text, email or phone call from him, I couldn't deny that I had a smile on my face.

During the time back, I'd also spent time with Pam and her family, as well as Alcide and Maria along with Sam, Tara and some of my old friends from high school. I still spoke to Amelia and Bill often, but I was enjoying the peace and quiet of Louisiana and didn't find myself missing New York at all.

It was early February by the time Eric and I decided that maybe we needed to go out together. It was a Saturday night, and Alcide had suggested that the four of us went out to Merlotte's like we always used to. Pam and Stan were unable to come as Ethan had the 'flu, but the remaining four of us were happy to meet up.

"So, how are things going?" Alcide asked as we both stood at the bar.

"It's going good. To be honest I haven't really seen that much of Eric since I've been back, but we talk every day and text or email. We're taking the time to get to know each other again, and I know he still feels a little guilty over the way things ended with Isabel."

"Yeah, I think I would as well. But it's clear that you too have something when you're together. I knew it over the summer that there was something left unsaid between the two of you, and I'm sure that Isabel would have seen it as well. I like her, and I don't like that she's hurt. But she did the right thing in ending their relationship."

I shrugged, but I wanted to defend him. "It would have taken a lot for him to leave her like that. I know that he loved her, and he didn't want to hurt her. I'd walked away from him, so why would he hurt her for me when I had not indicated that I wanted anything more? I think it was brave of him to be honest and come and see me in New York; I didn't let him see me when I came back."

He smiled and wrapped an arm over my shoulder as we walked back. "You're definitely a girl in love," he whispered into my ear, and I couldn't help but giggle.

Only when we walked back with the drinks, the look on Eric's face wasn't so jovial, and I noticed him glaring at the position Alcide and me were in. Alcide immediately dropped his arm, and I went to sit down next to Eric.

"What's up?" I asked him, looking from him to Maria as obviously something had been said in the five minutes Alcide and I had been at the bar. Maria had an apologetic look in her eyes.

"What's up?" he repeated back to me before glaring at Alcide. "How about the fact that you never told me you too fucked." His tone was biting and he was fighting off a barely concealed rage.

"Eric, I didn't –"

He cut me off before I could say any more, looking over at Alcide and Maria. "Don't lie to me."

"I wasn't going to," I snapped back. "I thought you knew."

Eric looked away, but I could see the hurt in his eyes. "Can we talk about this?"

"No."

He stood up, grabbed his jacked at walked out of Merlotte's, while I was left watching him.

* * *

><p><strong>So … he knows about Sookie and Alcide, and hasn't taken it well. Should they have told him? Is he right to be so upset?<strong>

**I'd love to know your thoughts.**

**I have a busy week ahead, so not sure if I'll get a chapter done midweek, and it's my 2****nd**** wedding anniversary next weekend… But I'll try and update as soon as I can.**

**Thanks for reading.**


	8. Chapter 8

**So … because I had so many reviews for the last chapter, you all inspired me to spend my day off writing instead of enjoying the rare sunshine (the weather is normally always shit on the August Bank Holiday weekend). **

**And thanks for your kind words re my wedding anniversary – on with the show…**

**This chapter may require an angst warning…**

**.**

* * *

><p><strong>Eric<strong>

"Eric, wait!"

I turned to see that Sookie was following me, so I stopped when I got to my car and turned to her.

"What the fuck?" she spat at me. "You just walk away from me?"

"I didn't want this in front of Maria and _Alcide_." It had taken a lot of effort not to lay one on him, and I couldn't help but growl his name.

"Stop it, will you?" I could see the anger in her eyes. "That was over six fucking months ago. And I'm damned certain that you were sleeping with Isabel at the time. What the fuck does it matter if Alcide and I slept together? It was nothing to do with you."

I took a deep breath to try to quell my anger. "I thought we were being honest and open with each other, Sookie. We weren't meant to be keeping secrets from each other." I paused briefly and ran my hand into my hair. "And to me, the fact that you and my best friend slept together is a pretty big fucking omission." I looked away from her, not wanting her to see how upset I was.

"You're unbelievable. I can't do this right now," she snapped at me. "Go home, Eric."

She walked away from me without turning back and headed in the direction of the bar. I kicked the tyre of my car before climbing in and heading home. In truth, I didn't know what to think. She was right in saying that I was with Isabel at the time, but I felt so betrayed that she would sleep with my best friend. She'd told me since that she had feelings for me at the time, so why did she sleep with him?

And not tell me about it.

I knew that we needed to talk, and I'd hoped that after tonight we'd do just that. I'd talked things through with Dr Brigant my therapist, and he'd told me that we needed to lay everything down on the table and get it all out into the open. Only I didn't expect to find out about Sookie and Alcide via Alcide's girlfriend. It seemed everyone knew more than I did.

I'd wanted to get this all sorted out now as I'd booked for the two of us to go skiing in Colorado for Valentine's, even clearing it with her boss that it was okay she took a few days off. I'd wanted us to move on with things. Yes, I'd had some difficulties in dealing with my guilt over hurting Isabel, but I loved Sookie, and she was the one I wanted to be with.

But now things were screwed up. I drove home as she'd requested, went into my study and pulled out a bottle of twenty-year-old whiskey. I poured a large glass and sank down into my chair. The alcohol burned down my throat and into my belly, and I could feel its calming affects in my blood stream, but it didn't make me feel any better.

I had over-reacted; I knew that. And telling her I didn't want to talk about it wasn't the right thing to have done. But she had slept with my best friend. He had slept with the woman I loved. And I really didn't appreciate being the last to know, or being told by a friend of Isabel's. We needed to talk, but I endeavoured to do as she asked and see her tomorrow.

It took another three large glasses of whiskey before I finally passed out in my chair. I woke up the next morning with an incredibly stiff neck and a thumping hangover. I pulled myself up, and took a few Tylenol washed down with two pints of water. My phone was still in my pocket, and I checked to see if Sookie had called or texted, but there was nothing.

I sent her a simple message asking to meet up, and apologising for the way I reacted to her. This was certainly going to have to be added to the long list of things we needed to talk about. I didn't really know what else to do with myself, so spent some time doing the chores around the house I'd neglected, and catching up on my laundry.

By lunchtime, she still hadn't responded, and since I needed to go to the store to get food, I thought I'd pop by her house first. Only she wasn't in, and her car wasn't parked in its usual spot. There were no signs of life at all in the house, so I headed to the store, did my shopping and went back home.

After putting away the goods, I paced the kitchen a few times before calling her. I should have expected it, but her phone was off and went it straight to voicemail. I left her a message apologising again and asking her to call me, before hanging up.

But I had to admit that I was concerned about her. Was she okay? Had she been in an accident? Had something happened? I was beginning to work myself up into a state and imagining the worst. I was tempted to call the sheriff's office to see if anything had happened, or the local hospitals, but my phone finally started ringing.

"Sookie?" I asked without looking to see who had called.

"_No, it's Pam. I –"_

"Pam, have you heard from Sookie? She's not answering her phone and she's not at home." I was well aware that my voice was raised and the panic was evident.

"_I know, Eric, she –"_

"What do you mean you know? Where is she? Why is she not returning my call?"

"_Will you let me finish?"_ she snapped back at me. _"Sookie just called me to say that she's in Las Vegas."_

"What?" That stumped me, and I sat down heavily into a chair at the kitchen table.

"_She's in Las Vegas,"_ she said more gently. _"She had a last minute request from her boss who wanted her to be there, so she went. She'll be back on Thursday."_

Something didn't quite seem right about that. "It's a Sunday today, Pam, why's she gone today. And anyway, couldn't she have at least told me she was going?"

"_I think she's upset with you. She told me what happened..."_

"I know," I said with a sigh. "And I want to apologise to her for the way I reacted."

"_Do you see why she didn't tell you?"_

I narrowed my eyes even though Pam couldn't see me. "You knew, didn't you." My voice was cold.

"_Eric …"_

"Jesus Christ, Pam! Did everyone fucking know except me? Fuck!"

"_Eric, stop it and calm the fuck down. Whether I knew or not doesn't matter. The two of you weren't together at the time, and you knew she went to New Orleans with him. They were sharing a room – what did you think would happen?"_

"Alcide told me that they realised there was nothing between them."

"_Yeah, and they had to sleep together to know that. Sookie told me that they just realised that spark wasn't there between them."_

"So it wasn't that she felt anything for me?"

"_Eric … you were with Isabel. You had a long-term girlfriend. How do you think she felt? You were sleeping with Izzy … why does it matter that she slept with Alcide?"_

"I cannot believe you're taking her side," I snapped into the phone.

"_I am not taking anyone's side. Eric, you really need to talk to her about this. I get that you're upset, but from what it sounds like, you really shouldn't have reacted the way you did. Right now, she's angry with you. And probably rightly so."_

"I know," I said with resignation. "But I can hardly talk to her properly if she's in fucking Las Vegas." I took a deep breath and leaned back into the seat as I realised something. "She's run away from me again."

"_Eric, you don't know that. This is work related."_

"Yeah … I'm not sure I totally believe that."

"_Just try and talk to her. You both love each other, but there's so much baggage between you right now. Maybe she just needs a little space. Come over here tonight? I don't want you to be alone."_

"Sure, whatever. I'll see you later."

I hung up and left my phone on the table while I went upstairs to change the linen on my bed. I knew that texting her while I was angry wasn't a good idea. I hated that she'd managed to tell Pam about her and Alcide, yet didn't tell me. And to me that only suggested that her not saying anything was a deliberate action, rather than her simply forgetting to tell me. And furthermore, why would she call Pam to say where she was and not me?

I wasn't feeling any better when I'd finished, so I decided to spend a couple of hours working out. Leaving my phone in the kitchen and on charge, I went to the outbuilding I'd converted to a small gym and ran for an hour and a half before lifting some weights and finally rowing for half an hour. I knew that I was overdoing it, but the burn of lactic acid in my muscles was enough to stop me from thinking about Sookie and Alcide together.

When I had absolutely no energy left, I hit the shower and let the scorching heat soothe my aching muscles. At least I knew that I'd sleep better if I were tired. At around five, and after no response from Sookie despite an additional message I sent her, I jumped into the car and drove over to Pam's house. I had to admit that I was still angry at her for not telling me about Sookie and Alcide. It was bad enough that she hadn't told me Sookie came home seven years ago, but this was an extra kick in the teeth.

"I thought you might not be coming," Pam said as I turned up in her kitchen. She was putting the vegetables on for what I assumed was a roast dinner.

"Yeah … well … I nearly didn't."

"Have you eaten today?"

Despite my work out, I hadn't. "No. But I can't say that I feel that hungry."

"Eric, stop being childish. I get your angry with me for not telling you, but it wasn't my secret to tell."

"Secret? It seemed that everyone else knew except me."

"You. Weren't. Together." She same up to me and placed her hands on my arms. "Look, Eric, she has moved over a thousand miles back here for you. Isn't that enough? You guys weren't together at the time she slept with him, and as far as she was concerned you were happy and in love with Isabel. Why wouldn't she sleep with him? You knew they were dating, why didn't you say something beforehand if you were so against their relationship?"

She had a point. And the reason I hadn't told either of them how unhappy I was with them dating was because it would hurt Isabel if she knew how much I wanted Sookie. But then I'd done that anyway. The thing was that when they announced that they weren't together it was a real weight of my mind. I didn't for one moment think that they had slept together. Maybe that was naïve of me – Sookie's a beautiful woman, after all, I could hardly blame him for wanting to sleep with her. And what if they had hit it off? Would she still be with him? Would she care about me at all?

"You're over-thinking this," Pam said gently, placing a hand on my chest.

"I don't really have an option considering she won't talk to me."

"You haven't heard from her?"

"Not a thing. I've sent her a few messages, left her a voicemail … but nothing. If she calls you, will you let me know? I'm worried about her."

"I will do."

"Even if she tells you not to?"

"Eric …"

I stood up and walked out of the kitchen. I found Ethan playing with his trains in the playroom, and I spent time with him until Pam called us in for dinner. We didn't talk anymore about Sookie, but there was definitely an atmosphere at the table. After helping Stan clear up after dinner, I took my leave. Once home I spent another hour lifting some weights before climbing into bed exhausted, but turning the volume on my phone up loud so I'd hear anything if Sookie called.

But she didn't.

I went to work as normal the next morning, and tried my utmost to concentrate on my work and lose myself. For the most part, it worked, and I tried to call Sookie at lunchtime, but her phone simply rang out and went to voicemail. I left her a short message asking her to call me.

At six in the evening, I was still in my office when Alcide knocked gently on the door. "Can we talk?"

I deliberately closed the lid on my laptop and looked up to face him. "Sure. Take a seat."

Alcide did just that. "Look, Eric, I'm sorry. I figured that Sookie had told you, and I'm sorry that you had to find out from Maria. But we were both consenting adults, and you knew that we were dating. You should have said something."

"How could I? I was with Izzy. I shouldn't have been pissed off at all that the two of you were dating, but I was. Why did you think I avoided the pair of you? Alc, I've loved her since I was seventeen years old, and I sure as hell never wanted us to split up in the first place. It fucking hurt seeing her with you."

"I'm sorry man, I didn't know."

"Yeah, well."

"I think you too really need to talk this out. She sounded really upset when I spoke to her this morning."

That got my attention. "You fucking spoke to her this morning?" My voice was raised, and I was aware that I was gripping my desk rather tightly.

"Yeah, she called me while I was at work."

"Fuck." I brought my fist down on the desk.

"What?"

"She calls you and my sister, but she can't respond to me?" I was fuming.

"Man, she's upset at the moment. She'll come around."

I was too pissed off to do any more work, so I stood up and grabbed my jacket. "I'm going home. I suggest you leave if you don't want to be locked in." He stood up and followed me out of the office.

"Call me if you need anything." I could see concern in Alcide's eyes, but I didn't care.

"Unlikely."

I jumped into my Corvette and flew out of the parking lot. I ended up driving for a couple of hours before I stopped off for take-away and went home. I'd still not heard a word from Sookie, and before I went to bed, I sent her another message reading: _Please call me Sook. I don't want to be the last one you contact, can we talk about this?_

I'd put my phone down on the bedside table not really expecting a response. But surprisingly this time she did respond. I had to admit that it was a relief when I saw her name on my screen, but that soon faded when I read her message.

_Leave me the fuck alone. I'll call you when I'm ready._

It wasn't surprising that my phone was thrown across the room straight into the wall.

.

**Sookie**

From inside the bar I watched Eric drive off out of the parking lot, and I went back to join Alcide and Maria who were evidently deep in conversation.

"I didn't do it on purpose," she was pleading to Alcide. "It just came out – I thought he knew."

They both looked up as I rejoined them, and I downed my drink in one gulp. "Are you alright?" Alcide asked. "Where's Eric?"

"I told him to go home. And no, I'm not alright. I'm fucking pissed off. How dare he accuse me of lying to him? He was fucking Isabel at the time, and I had to put up with that." I saw a slightly shocked expression on Maria's face, and I remembered that her and Isabel were actually friends. "Sorry, I don't mean anything against her, but I knew they were together at the time."

"I'm sorry, Sookie," Maria told me. "I didn't mean to cause you any problems. I thought he knew."

"I know. And maybe I should have made sure that he did know. But even so, there was no need for him to act like a jealous asshole."

"You two really need to talk about this," Alcide pointed out. "You moved here for him, remember."

I sighed. "I know, and I really do want the two of us to work this out, but at times he really pisses me off. I'd forgotten about this jealous side of him. He used to be like this at times when we were together before. He can be so possessive." I paused for a moment. "Look, guys, I'm not really in the mood for this anymore. I'll see you later."

"Take care, Sook," Alcide called to me as I left, and I gave them both a wave.

I climbed into my own car and headed back to Jason's place to consider my options. There was a part of me that did want to see Eric and talk this through right away, but I wasn't the one in the wrong, so I figured I'd make him suffer a little. But the more I thought about it, the more I realised that I needed a little time to myself. While at Merlotte's I'd had a panicked email from my editor asking if I'd be willing to go to Las Vegas to interview a film director on location there. I'd agreed to it straight away, and I was going to tell Eric about it, but I figured that maybe I could go a little early and take in the sights.

I poured myself a large glass of wine and made the ticket reservation. My flight was early the following morning, so I set my alarm to be awake at five, and I packed enough clothes for four days having decided to come back on the Thursday. I'd never been to Vegas before, and it seemed like a great opportunity to take a look around. Of course, I'd have preferred it if I'd been going with Eric, but then that couldn't be helped.

The next morning, I woke up early despite the fact that I didn't sleep very well. My mind was full of images of Eric and Alcide, and Isabel. In some ways, I was worried that holding a grudge against him may harm us further, but I was still so angry with him, and I deduced that it was better if we spent a little time apart.

The flight was long and boring with a long stopover in Dallas before I got my connection to Las Vegas. I was pleased I'd at least thought to bring my iPad, but I was still bored. I kept my phone off while in the airport as I was sure that Eric would try and contact me, and when I finally arrived in Vegas I read the text and listened to the voicemail he'd left me.

He'd apologised for the way he reacted, and asked me to call him, but I wasn't ready for that. I checked into my hotel, showered, changed and then climbed into bed. I called Pam to let her know that I was okay, as I was sure that she'd tell Eric. I was feeling tired from not sleeping the night before, so I ordered room service and sat down with my laptop to do some work.

Eric called once more in the evening, but I let it go to voicemail as I didn't want to speak to him. Maybe I was being a little childish in giving him the silent treatment, but I needed some space to think.

I did love him – that much I knew for certain. But I also remembered how things had ended between us before, and we hadn't been spending much time together recently. I knew that I had to give Eric space as he'd only just split from Isabel, but I thought I'd be seeing him more than a few times a week – and even then it was often only for a few hours. And it made me worry that I had made the wrong decision in coming back. What if Eric and I couldn't make a go of it? What would I do then? Was he still seeing Isabel? Did he love her more than he was letting on? I knew he felt guilty about hurting her, but to me that seemed excessive. I wanted him. I wanted him to be with me, to want me.

The next day I set about seeing the sights. I went on an early morning helicopter tour to the Grand Canyon, something I'd always wanted to see, and spent some time in the hotel spa that afternoon. I'd also planned to see a show later on in the week

I'd given Alcide a quick call earlier on in the day to make sure that Eric hadn't done anything stupid like trying to beat the crap out of him, but luckily he was okay and hadn't seen or heard from Eric. I, however, had had a few more messages from him, with the last one that evening reading: _Please call me Sook. I don't want to be the last one you contact, can we talk about this?_

That simply pissed me off. Eric was obviously aware that I'd spoken to both Pam and Alcide, but had no right to be angry with me. I texted him back: _Leave me the fuck alone. I'll call you when I'm ready._

I got changed into a nice dress and headed out, deliberately leaving my phone in my room, and heading to the hotel bar to get some much-needed alcohol inside of me. When I was on my third shot of tequila, I was approached by an attractive Hispanic man, who was dressed in a well-fitting expensive suit.

"You look like you're trying to forget something." He was a good-looking man, and charm seemed to radiate off him.

"Or someone," I replied.

"I can drink to that," he said with a smile. "May I?" he indicated to the seat next to me and I nodded my consent. "I hate to see a beautiful woman sitting alone. Are you here on business or for pleasure." He purred the last word.

"Both, I guess. But I'm afraid I'm not going to be good company tonight."

"Boyfriend trouble?"

"Something like that." I indicated to the bar tender to pour me another shot, and this time the gentleman next to me joined in.

"My name is Felipe De Castro. Can I have the pleasure of your name?"

"Sookie. Sookie Stackhouse," I held out a hand to him.

"Nice to meet you Miss Stackhouse," he leaned down and kissed my hand. "Have you been in Vegas long?"

"No … I got here yesterday. I went to the Grand Canyon today, so I haven't yet seen the sights."

"The night is still young. Maybe I could show them to you?" He seemed like nice enough man, but I wasn't about to go off with someone I didn't know in a city I'd never been to before.

"Thank you for offering, but I don't think that's a good idea. I don't know you."

"Understandable. At least let me take you out to dinner. Have you eaten?" I shook my head 'no'. "Then please allow me to treat you; you at least need some food to soak up the alcohol you've been drinking." He had a point there.

"Sure, why not. Although I can't let you pay for me."

"I insist." He leaned in a little closer. "And anyway, I own this hotel."

"You what?" he placed a finger over his lips in a suggestion to not shout it out. "Wow. Well in that case…"

We both stood up and he linked his arm through mine and led me to the hotel restaurant. The staff were almost falling over themselves to serve us, and we were taken to a private table where he ordered a ridiculously expensive bottle of white wine and allowed me to peruse the menu.

"So, Miss Stackhouse, would you like to tell me what you've run from? I've been told I'm a very good listener."

I sighed. "Honestly, not really. It's complicated."

"Is running the best option though?"

"He'd certainly say not. In fact he always says I have a habit of running from him."

"Is he right?"

I couldn't disagree. "I suppose he may be."

"Does he know that you are here?"

"He knows I'm in Vegas, yes. And I am here for work, although it was a little on the last minute side."

It turned out that Felipe was a very good listener, and despite my initial reluctance I ended up talking to him. I told him all about myself and my past with Eric, and he let me vent some of my frustrations while also trying to make me see some things from Eric's point of view. He did, however, agree with me that Eric had no right to be so upset about me sleeping with Alcide when Eric was still with Isabel.

The food and wine were both excellent, and I had to say that I really enjoyed his company. Once we'd eaten, he borrowed a faux-fur lined coat and gloves for me, and we took a walk in the gardens of the hotel. It was certainly cold being early February, but the coat was warm and I was a little drunk from the wine we'd consumed.

"I think your boyfriend is an idiot for letting you get away from him," Felipe told me as we approached the hotel once more. "I know that if I had a woman such as you I would treat you properly; I would honour you like the queen you are."

He had a hand on my lower back, and he led me to a sheltered alcove to be out of the biting wind.

"Thanks, and I appreciate that … but I do love him."

He shrugged. "You've fallen out of love with him once before. Maybe you deserve better." He took a step closer to me. "Maybe you need someone that will fight for you."

His body was close to me, and I swallowed thickly. His eyes were still kind and smiling, but there was an intensity and want behind them. I noticed his eyes flick to my lips, and I knew instinctively what he was about to do.

But I didn't move.

His lips met mine for a fraction of a second, waiting for me to pull away. When I didn't, he took it as the permission he required and he kissed me harder, his gloved hand moving to my arm as he pushed me gently into the wall.

My mind was a complete mess, but it was Eric that I thought of. And I knew that I was doing something so much worse than he'd ever done. I pulled back from him and let out a strangled sob as I felt the tears spring to my eyes.

"Sookie … Miss Stackhouse, I am sorry. I …"

I cut him off. "It isn't you. Fuck! I shouldn't have done that, I am so sorry. Thank you for the meal, please let me know what I owe you." I wiped away the tears from my cheeks while trying to quell the panic that was rising within me.

"You don't owe me anything," he said in a gentle voice. "And I am sorry; I didn't mean to take advantage of you. I just thought … you're a beautiful woman, Sookie. You deserve the best."

"God, I so don't. I don't deserve him. Fuck, how am I going to tell him?"

"You don't have to tell him. What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas." I knew he was trying to make me feel better, but it wasn't working.

"No … we were meant to be honest with each other. Fuck! That's why he was so mad at me … I should have told him. And I have to tell him about this." I was shaking like a leaf, and Felipe came to my side, led me back into the hotel and took me up to my room. He didn't try anything else, but simply made sure that I was okay.

"Look, if you need anything while you are here let me know. And, again, I am sorry."

"It's not your fault. Thank you."

Once the door had shut, I sat down on the bed and stared at my phone, which had still been sitting on the bedside table. He hadn't tried to call me back while I'd been gone, and I went into my messages to read through the ones he'd sent me. The problem was that when I re-read the last message I'd sent him, I realised what a complete bitch I'd been. He didn't deserve that, and now I'd gone and fucked things up further. He'd split up with his perfect girlfriend for me … and this was how I repaid him.

I looked over at the clock and saw that it was a little before two in the morning, meaning it would be nearly four a.m. in Louisiana. I knew that he tended to get up for work around six, so I figured I'd call him then. Needless to say, those were the longest two hours of my life. I tried to get a little sleep, setting me alarm for four to wake me, but I don't think I managed to get more than a few minutes rest.

I didn't quite know what to say to him. I'd been debating with myself as to whether it was best to tell him over the phone, or wait until I got back to Louisiana and tell him face-to-face. In the end, I decided I'd make the decision at the last moment, only when I called his phone went straight to voicemail.

I hadn't expected that, as Eric was never one to turn his phone off. Instead, I waited for fifteen minutes and called him again, but the same thing happened. This time a left a short message asking him to call me as soon as he could. I tried after that to get some sleep, knowing that I had to be on top of my game to meet with the film director, but I was so scared that I'd ruined everything, and so angry with myself for even allowing it to happen. It was one of those times that I wished nothing more than to go back in time.

Eventually, I probably got a few hours of broken sleep, and I immediately checked my phone for any messages, but found nothing. I managed to eat a couple of slices of dry toast from the room service breakfast, and I downed a couple of mugs of coffee before I showered and changed. I applied a little more make-up than I normally wore to hide the dark circles under my eyes. I tried calling Eric once more before I left, but again his phone went straight to answerphone.

The actual interview with film director Victor Madden actually went a lot better than I had expected it to. I certainly had enough material to write the eight thousand-word article that had been requested of me, and I for a moment I actually felt quite good about myself. That was until I allowed myself to think of Eric again, and even more so when I ran into Felipe again in the foyer of the hotel.

"Miss Stackhouse, how are you?"

I attempted a smile. "Not so good. I can't believe that I allowed myself to even be in that situation. And I'm sorry; I don't mean to be rude to you. It's not your fault I'm a fuck-up."

"Everyone makes mistakes, Sookie. Have you spoken to him?"

"No. His phone just goes straight to answerphone. And I don't blame him, I was a complete bitch to him." I hung my head in shame. "I need to go back; I have to see him."

I fully intended on running back to my room, packing my belongings and heading out to the airport for the first plane back to Shreveport.

"Sookie, will you let me help you? I feel that I am responsible for this … I have a private plane, and I more than willing to fly you back to Shreveport. It will take less than half the time that a commercial flight will take."

I didn't really want to take him up on his offer, but I was also desperate to get back and see Eric as soon as possible. "I don't know …"

"Please, I insist. Go and pack up your belongings, I will call my pilot to ready the plane."

I did just that, throwing everything into my case in a haphazard fashion and being back in the foyer of the hotel within ten minutes. Felipe ushered me into a waiting blackened out Mercedes Benz, and we were driven at pace to a private airfield. He came with me on the flight, but for the most part didn't say anything while I tried to focus on writing my article. The flight only took three hours, instead of the eight I'd been expected from the commercial flight, meaning that I arrived back in Shreveport at eight in the evening local time.

"Good luck, Sookie," Felipe said to me as I alighted from the plane. "I do wish you all the best, and I am sorry for the part I have played in this."

"It's not your fault. This is all on me. And thank you so much for the ride home, are you sure I can't give you anything?"

"No. We'll call it my good deed for the year." He gave me a warm smile and I headed away from the plane to reclaim my car.

I was an absolute bundle of nerves, and I hadn't actually managed to eat anything all day since the dry toast that morning. Yet I still felt sick, and that only increased as I got closer to Bon Temps. I'd decided to head straight to Eric's house, but when I arrived there was no sign of life. I knocked on the door just in case, but his Corvette wasn't out front and there were no lights on in the house.

I debated around driving home, or to Pam's or Merlotte's to see if he was there, but I didn't think I could face him around other people. I ended up sitting on his step waiting for him to come home, and finally after I'd been there for an hour he turned up.

"Sookie?" he queried, but he stayed where he was as if he somehow knew what I had done. "I didn't think you were back yet. Why are you sitting there in the cold?"

"I needed to see you," I whispered, not quite able to trust my voice.

"Why didn't you keep warm in your car?"

I hadn't even thought of that. He moved closer to me, and from the light of the security lamp, I could see that he didn't look so good. He looked tired and his eyes were a little red and puffy.

"I don't know … I … I need to tell you something." I sobbed the last part of the sentence, although my voice was shaking anyway.

"Sookie, what is it?" his eyes were gentle as he knelt down in front of me.

"I am so sorry, Eric." I felt a tear slide down my face.

"Sorry for what?" I saw his face harden a little as he waited for my answer.

"I kissed another man."

.

.

.

* * *

><p><strong>Please don't lynch me!<strong>

**So … can they get over this? Will Eric at least appreciate her honesty? Can he forgive her? What now?**

**I'd love to know your thoughts.**

**I'll aim to get the next chapter written for the weekend – but who knows, I may get it out before then.**

**Thanks for reading.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Thanks for the reviews and comments for the last chapter – mixed to some extent, but most people condemning Sookie.**

**This chapter has a mini cliffhanger halfway through, but because I'm nice, I won't leave you hanging on this one…**

* * *

><p>Eric didn't respond, but simply sat back on his heels. I couldn't meet his eyes; I was too ashamed of myself and terrified that I would see hate in them. I felt a tear snake down my cheek, which I didn't even bother to wipe away as I knew it would be joined by many more. I felt him standing up, and he walked past me to open his front door. I took the opportunity to take a deep shuddering breath, but I didn't turn around.<p>

"Are you coming?" he asked in a cold voice, and I finally turned to see that Eric had opened his front door and turned the hallway light on.

I simply nodded, standing up and following him wordlessly inside. He went into the living room, knelt down at the fireplace and piled on a few logs before lighting some kindling and allowing it to catch alight in the grate. Otherwise, he'd only turned on a lamp in the room, so the room was mostly lit by the light of the fire. I had sat down on one corner of the sofa, watching him nervously as he kept his back to me. I wished for nothing more than to understand what was going on his mind.

"Eric?" I finally whisper/sobbed, and he turned to me, his eyes harsh.

"Tell me." He sat down in the armchair closest to the fire, while I sat back on the sofa and brought my knees up close to my chest, wrapping my arms around them. I was still freezing cold from sitting on his step, and the heat from the fire wasn't reaching me.

I took another deep breath. "Last night … I was in the hotel in Vegas … I went down to the bar, and this man came up to me. I was initially a little sceptical, but we talked and he seemed nice enough. He insisted on buying me dinner, and afterwards we went for a walk in the gardens of the hotel." Eric was still watching me, but I stared firmly at the carpet in front of me.

I continued. "When I first started speaking to him he knew something was up, and I ended up telling him about you over dinner." I chanced a look up at him, but his face was impassive. "He was really charming and successfully managed to cheer me up a little. When we were walking back to the hotel, he propositioned me, and then kissed me."

"You're saying then that it was him that kissed you?"

I looked up at Eric. "He was the one that kissed me, but I didn't stop him. I'm not saying it was his fault; I shouldn't have allowed him to do it. I should have pulled away. Hell, I shouldn't have been in that position in the first place." I wiped away another tear from my cheek. "I tried to call you first thing this morning, but I couldn't get through. I knew I had to talk to you, so I came back."

He let out a dark chuckle and stared into the fire. "My phone had an unfortunate encounter with the wall. I'm yet to replace it." He turned to face me. "So you flew back straight away."

"I still did the interview I had to earlier today, but I came back as soon as I could."

He looked a little puzzled. "And tell me, how did you get back so quickly? I know perfectly well there are no direct flights from Las Vegas to Shreveport."

I knew he wasn't going to like this. "The man … he's a hotel owner and he has his own plane. He kindly flew me back to Shreveport." Eric's face had hardened considerably, and I couldn't meet his fierce blue eyes.

"He flew you back?" His tone was biting, and I simply nodded. "And what_ exactly_ did he want in return for that?"

"Nothing!" I protested, further tears spilling down my cheeks. "He wouldn't take my money when I offered to pay for the flight. He was doing a good deed."

Eric looked away. "Men like that don't just do good deeds. Did you at least get his name?"

I swallowed thickly. "Felipe De Castro."

"De Castro?" he repeated. "As in owner of The Grand Excelsior?"

I nodded. "Yes, it was where I was staying."

He said nothing else and just looked away into the fire. I could see that he was obviously going through a lot in his mind, and really, I doubted there was more that I could do other than be completely honest with him. I hated myself for what I had done, and in reality, I didn't think he could despise me anymore that I did myself. But I had more that I needed to apologise for.

"Eric?" I said softly and waited for his attention. "I want to apologise for the message I sent you. I was rude and completely out of order."

"I understand that you were upset with me." He didn't look at me.

I took a deep breath. "I was. But I shouldn't have avoided you like I did. I ran from you again, and I shouldn't have. And Eric, I am truly sorry about Alcide."

Eric let out a sigh. "Sookie, it wasn't necessarily the fact that you slept with him that bothers me. I understand that I was with Isabel at the time … It's just … I didn't want to be the last person to know. And to find out from Maria … it just hurt." He paused briefly and ran a hand through his hair. "And I wanted to apologise to you. I was so concerned when you weren't at home; I tried calling you, texting you, but you didn't answer. I was moments away from calling the sheriff's office when Pam called me to tell you where you were. And that you spoke to Alcide but not me …"

"I'm sorry," I whispered.

Eric sighed deeply and I watched the flames dancing in the grate. I was so scared that I'd screwed this up between us. Eric may not have been the sole reason I had moved back to Louisiana, but he was the main one and I didn't think I could live here without him. I loved him absolutely, but I couldn't seem to stop myself from screwing things up. I knew I had to make some damn big changes to stop this relationship imploding – assuming it hadn't already, that was.

"Were you at Pam's tonight?" I asked after around five minutes of silence between us.

He turned to me with a contemplative look on his face. "No. I went to see Isabel."

I tried to suppress the feeling of horror, but I realised I had failed miserably when I gasped aloud and tears sprang to my eyes. Eric didn't say anything more but simply stared into the fire. I had feared that maybe it had been to see Isabel, and I tried to not fear the worst.

"How is she?" I asked tentatively once I'd regained a little control over myself.

"She's doing better than either of us are right now."

I didn't know what else to say, so I hugged my knees tighter to me and buried my face into them in an attempt to hide myself. I don't know why, but I felt like I could see our relationship slipping away from us. He seemed to be more distant and there just appeared like there were more and more hurdles ahead of us.

"I needed to see her," he eventually said, and I looked up at him. I could see the tears in his eyes. "I guess I haven't dealt well with the guilt since we split up. And I'm sorry, as that wasn't fair on you. But she's actually doing good, and she apparently even went on a date with some guy her sister set her up with."

"You needed to know that she was okay," I mused.

"I did. And she is." I watched his handsome face in the light of the fire. "Although she's kind of pissed at me for not making this work." He turned to me with a look of sadness in his eyes. "It seems Maria told her about our little spat at Merlotte's. It was why she called me; she accused me of wasting what we had been given. She pointed out that both of us had given up so much to be together, yet we were both doing our best to screw it up."

I had to agree with Isabel there, although I recognised that this was more on me than him. I hadn't been patient enough with him over Isabel. "What do we do now?" I asked in a small voice, watching him for any reaction that he may give.

He simply shrugged and continued to look ahead of him and not at me. "I don't know. I had plans to take you away for Valentines to go skiing in Colorado."

I didn't miss his use of the past tense, and I felt myself beginning to lose control. Tears were clouding my eyes and my breathing suddenly became more difficult as my chest tightened. He was really going to end this. Whatever 'this' was, anyway. I buried my head in my knees and tried to regain control of my breathing, but instead managed to let out a massive sob.

"Sookie…"

"Can we fix this?"

"I don't know."

He didn't look at me, but just carried on staring into the fire. I took a deep shuddering breath. "I should go," I wiped away the tears from my soaked face. "And I am so sorry, Eric. I'm so sorry I screwed this up. I love you."

He stayed sitting down as I uncurled myself. I was still cold to the bone which made moving quite difficult, but I got up stiffly and stood by the door to the room. Eric still hadn't moved, and I took one more shuddering deep breath as I watched him. He really was the handsomest man I'd ever met, yet there was something wrong with me that just couldn't appreciate what I so nearly had again.

"I'll see you …," I said in a voice so quiet I didn't know whether he heard me or not. He certainly didn't acknowledge me.

I let myself out of the front door and ran to my car, somehow desperate to be alone to wallow in my own misery. I had confessed everything to him, and it was the only thing I knew that I could do. But I'd expected shouting and anger from him, as he'd been known to have a temper, and he'd certainly been angry when he found out about Alcide and me. Yet somehow, his silent treatment was a thousand times worse.

I climbed into my car, started it, flicked the lights on and drove quickly out of his driveway onto the dark road. I had never really enjoyed driving at night, and it was almost impossible to do as I could barely see through the tears clouding my eyes. And maybe if I'd been right in my mind I would have wiped them away before driving, or at least pulled over.

Maybe if I had done, I wouldn't have driven straight off the road and into a tree.

.

**Eric**

I didn't know what to do or think.

I hadn't expected to see Sookie sat in the cold on my step when I returned home, and I sure as hell didn't expect her to tell me that she had kissed another man. I suppose that in some way I appreciated her honesty, and it at least showed me that she had learned from previous mistakes. But in truth, I was dumbstruck and absolutely devastated.

Even with our recent spat, I had hoped that we'd get over this, and I could still take her to Colorado to work on our relationship. But now? Was this the final nail in the coffin? I didn't know how to answer Sookie when she asked if we could fix this. I didn't know if we could.

She had looked so small and meek sitting on my sofa, and it wasn't a position I was used to seeing Sookie in. She was normally a fireball, usually so strong, but this time she looked so defeated and broken. She looked as if she too had realised we might not recover from this.

When I'd spoken to Isabel earlier on in the evening, she'd told me that I owed it to her to make this right. And I agreed with that. I had effectively finished things with her because I was in love with Sookie. And I did love her; I still loved her now. But I just wasn't sure that we could get past this. I wasn't sure what the right answer was, and I wished there was a way that I could know.

But it had been a cathartic experience seeing my ex. She actually seemed very well in herself, and I was completely honest with her over what had happened between Sookie and I. She helped give me a little perspective on why Sookie and Alcide didn't tell me about them sleeping together, but she condemned Sookie for running away from me and refusing to speak to me. She pointed out the two of us probably needed a little professional help to get the ball rolling between us, and I had plans to set us up an appointment before we went skiing.

But now, I wasn't so sure if that was a good idea.

After Sookie had driven off, I pottered around the house a little, not really able to think about anything clearly. I knew that maybe I should have insisted she stayed and the two of us talk more, but I wasn't sure yet if there was any point to that at that time, and I needed a little space to think before I saw her again. We both needed to think. Although it was certainly obvious that she was hurting, and I knew damn well that I was.

I decided to head into my gym to distract me from the events of the previous few days, and I ran for two hours solid before I felt my legs finally give way and I could go no further. I left the outhouse and went straight into the shower after locking up the house. Once clean, I almost fell into bed, and I was certain that I was asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow.

.

"Wake the fuck up, Eric!"

I woke with a start to find Isabel standing over me.

"Why are you here, Isabel?" I groaned, looking over at the bedside clock and seeing that it was only five in the morning. I buried my face back into the pillow and hoped that she'd go away. I didn't know why in the hell Izzy would turn up here at this ungodly hour. And she sure as hell knew that I was not pleasant first thing in the morning. "How did you even get in?"

"I know where you keep your spare key," she snapped. "Do you not answer your phone?" I had remembered hearing the house phone ringing downstairs, but I was too tired to get up and answer it.

"No. Leave me alone." It was bad enough that things were already fucked up, and I certainly didn't need Izzy to know any more.

"Eric, get up. It's Sookie." She pulled the bedclothes off me, but it was her words that caught my attention.

"What?" I asked, sitting up straight.

"Pam has been trying to call you all fucking night to tell you that Sookie was in a car accident." I felt a chill down my spine. "She's with her in the hospital, but she couldn't reach you. My sister called me this morning to tell me what had happened and that you weren't answering your phone." Izzy's sister was a nurse at the hospital in Shreveport, and from what I remembered, she worked in the emergency room.

I was back to feeling numb again, but this time for a very different reason. I hadn't stopped her from driving off last night while upset, and it was therefore my fault.

"Is she…" I didn't know how to finish that sentence.

"I don't know, Eric, my sister couldn't tell me anything. Sookie doesn't have any other family; I think you and Pam are still listed as her emergency contacts. Now get dressed, I'll drive you there."

I did as she asked, grabbing some clothes and heading into the bathroom to change and brush my teeth. When I got downstairs, Isabel handed me a travel mug of coffee and silently led me to her car which had been parked in the same place Sookie's had been the night before.

"This is my fault," I muttered as we headed towards Shreveport. "If she dies …" I couldn't complete that sentence, and I choked back a sob.

"It's not your fault, Eric."

I shook my head. "It is. When I came home last night, she was waiting for me. I guess we had an argument, and I let her drive off while upset. So yes, it is my fault." I didn't want to tell Isabel all the details this time.

"She'll be okay."

"You can't know that."

The rest of the journey was silent between us, but I was grateful that she was driving a little faster than she normally did. Still, the journey to Shreveport seemed to take hours despite the minimal traffic around. As soon as we reached the hospital, Isabel parked up and I ran out of the car towards the entrance. Izzy followed me, giving me instructions on what way to go.

I reached the front desk in a panic, and in seeing that Isabel's sister Claudine was at the nurse's station, I ran towards her.

"Sookie, how is she? Where is she? Can I see her?"

"One question at a time," she snapped at me. I assumed she still wasn't happy with me for what had happened between Isabel and me, but I was grateful to her for calling Izzy.

"Please?" I asked. Isabel placed a hand on my back, and obviously mouthed something to her sister as she became a little more receptive.

"Fine. I'll take you to her."

She led Isabel and I further into the hospital, and we finally stopped at a small room. I could see Pam sat by Sookie's bed, who didn't seem to be conscious.

"Go to her, Eric," Isabel said kindly.

I turned to her and gave her my best attempt at a smile. "Thank you, Iz."

"Not a problem. I want you to be happy." She smiled back before walking off arm in arm with her sister.

"About fucking time," Pam greeted me as I entered the room. I ignored her snarkiness and sat down on the seat the opposite side of Sookie's bed. I wanted to take her hand, but I wasn't really sure if I had the right to do so.

"Is she…" I felt a tear snake down my cheek.

"She's okay. She needed to rest, so the doctors gave her a tranquiliser earlier."

"What happened?"

"She was found at the side of the road, having driven off and hitting a tree. Luckily, the car took the brunt of the damage, and it doesn't seem like she was going too fast. She was found unconscious by a passing motorist, but she otherwise only has cuts and bruises." I let out a sigh of relief and rested my head on the side of the bed. "What happened, Eric? I didn't think she was back until Thursday."

I breathed deeply. "She came home early."

"Did you guys have another argument?"

"She told me that she kissed another man while in Vegas." Pam gasped, but I moved my hand to Sookie's head and gently stroked her hair. "It was more the case that he kissed her and she didn't stop him, but … But I let her drive off, and now she's here. She could have been killed."

"She wasn't."

"I can't do without her, Pam. I was angry with her last night; I didn't know what we could do to fix us. But the thought of being without her terrifies me."

"Then you two both need to work hard. It really does sound like you both have some major issues that you need to sort through, but if you love each other like I know you do, you need to both make the effort."

"Do you think we should still go to Colorado?"

"It might help to be alone together without distraction. But she's the one you need to speak to." Pam stood up and picked her purse. "I need to go home and get some sleep. Will you be okay?"

"I'll be fine. And thank you for coming here. I'm sorry I didn't answer the phone; my head wasn't in a good place last night."

"I don't think hers was either. Take care of each other. I'll bring your car here later."

"Thanks again, Pam."

Pam left the room and I was alone with Sookie. She has a few cuts and scrapes that I could see, and some bruising and blood around her forehead where I guess she'd hit her head on the steering wheel. I again cursed myself for letting her drive when she was in such a state.

I stayed with her, remaining sitting next to Sookie, her hand in mine. I was brought some coffee by one of the nurses at one point, but otherwise I refused to leave her side.

I knew that I had to do something to save our relationship. I couldn't deny that I was upset about Sookie kissing another man, but it sounded like it was him doing the kissing rather than her, and she'd come straight back and told me straight away. It at least showed that she knew that I wanted honesty, and maybe learned from my reaction over the news of her and Alcide. And the truth was that I wanted to be with her. We certainly had many things to talk through, but I didn't want to let her go. But that decision had to be both of ours, and we needed to be on the same page.

It was probably after a few hours that Sookie finally started to stir, and I gently stroked her hand as she came to.

"Hey, are you okay?" I asked as soon as she opened her eyes.

"Eric?" she seemed surprised to see me.

"I'm here, Sook. And I'm so sorry."

"It's not your fault I drove off the road." She moved herself in the bed, sitting up more, but wincing with pain.

"You're in pain; I'll call the doctor."

I did just that, stepping briefly out of the room and attracting the attention of one of the nurses to let her know that Sookie was awake and in pain. The nurse followed me back into the room and I resumed my position by her side.

"How are you feeling Miss Stackhouse? My name is Holly."

"My head hurts, and my neck and right ankle. Is it broken?"

"You're ankle is sprained, and you've suffered some whiplash. You'll probably need a little physio, and you certainly need to take it easy for a few weeks. But I'll call your doctor to come and see you." She smiled down at Sookie before leaving the room.

"I guess skiing is off for you then," I told her, taking her hand once more.

"Eric … I …" I could see tears welling up in her eyes again.

"That's if you still want to go …" I paused, not really knowing what to say.

She took a deep shuddering breath, and was obviously trying to compose herself. "I didn't think you still wanted to go with me."

"I do if you do. I don't want us to split up, Sookie. I've had time to think, and I am so sorry for the way I reacted last night. I shouldn't have let you drive when you were so upset."

"You have every right to hate me. I do."

"I don't hate you."

"You should." She didn't meet my eyes.

"I don't," my tone was firm but still kind. I waited for her to look at me before continuing. "We've both made mistakes. And I'm talking about now and before, but what I do know is that I love you, and I don't want to throw this away. Shit … when Izzy told me that you'd been in an accident…"

She had a shocked expression on her face. "Izzy?" her voice was small and insecure. I could only assume that she was worried about Isabel and me getting back together.

I brought her hand to my lips and placed a kiss on the back of it. "Pam was here with you and was trying to call me, but I couldn't hear the phone as it was downstairs and you know my cell phone is dead. Isabel's sister works here, and she let her know what happened. She came by my house and brought me here."

Sookie took a deep breath, but she still head tears in her eyes.

"Sook, nothing is going on between Isabel and me. I guess I needed to see her for closure, but that is it. I'd like to be friends with her eventually, but I'm sure that will take some time for both of us. And I'm really grateful to her for bringing me here; she really didn't have to."

I moved my chair up closer to the head of the bed, and I stroked Sookie's cheek with my thumb.

"I'd like to go to Colorado," she said quietly.

I couldn't keep the smile off my face. "Good. You'll love it. I booked us a romantic chalet in Breckenridge … although I think all sports may be off the cards now. Oh, and please don't think me high-handed, but I've already cleared it with your boss."

"Eric …" I could see that she really wanted to tell me off, but maybe because of what had happened recently, she was warring with herself rather than snapping at me. "I guess I should say thank you."

"I know you hate it when I do this sort of thing, but I wanted it to be a surprise." I gave her a shrug and a smile.

"I just thought … after last night … I didn't think you still wanted … _us_."

"I do. But we need to work at this. Hell, we needed to work at things before the events of the last week. Things haven't been easy, and I will admit that I was upset and angry last night. But this, now, it's put things into perspective and I cannot remember a time when I was more scared. Sook, I thought you were seriously injured … or worse. And I can't do without you."

To prove it, I leaned in and gently kissed her lips. It was a lingering and gentle, and she sighed gently as I kissed her.

"I'm sorry for everything, Eric."

"I know. And so am I. We've both wronged each other, but I think we should draw a line under this and start afresh. I also think we should maybe see a couple's counsellor before we go."

"That sounds like a plan," she finally smiled and I felt myself relax. "When do we go?"

"We fly to Denver early on the thirteenth and we're staying for a week. It even has an outdoor hot-tub!"

We were interrupted by her doctor coming in. She was short with glasses and a stern expression that made her look like some kind of _Lord of the Rings_ character.

"My name is Dr Ludwig," she almost barked as us both. "How are you feeling?"

"Okay, my head hurts mostly." I noticed that she'd dropped the info on her neck and ankle so filled the doctor in.

"I'll give you some pain meds now, and when you leave we'll prescribe more for you. You'll need to take it easy, and since you've had a concussion I suggest that you stay with someone."

"You can stay with me," I said turning to her. "Please?"

She nodded. "Okay … thank you."

"Good. Now we just need to do a few more tests and scans, but assuming there are no problems you can go home this afternoon. I'll be back in a few minutes, and we'll take you down to CT."

"Thank you, Eric," she said as soon as the doctor had left the room. "God, I was so scared last night that I had screwed things up, and I am so, so sorry about what I did. I'm not sure I can even find any kind of excuse. I was a bitch to you, and I completely fucked up. Thank you for being so understanding."

I gave her a smile. "Just putting things in the bigger picture, I do know it was a mistake. And we all make mistakes, I know I certainly have done. But I want us to work this out. I love you; I always have done. We've both sacrificed a lot – I'm not prepared to throw that away yet."

She gave me a warm smile as a couple of orderlies came in to take her for further tests. I waited in her room, and while there, Pam came back with my car keys.

"Thank you, Pam. You're an absolute star."

"Yeah … you remember that big brother. You will be getting double babysitting duty for this."

"Not a problem li'l sis." The fact was that I loved those two kids like my own, so I was bothered by Pam's threat of babysitting duty.

"Things okay with Sookie?"

I sighed happily. "We have work to do, but yes, things seem okay. We're going to Colorado, although there won't be any skiing considering Sookie's sprained her ankle.

"Plenty of time for other things then?" Pam smirked at me.

"Hopefully, but we need to get things sorted between us first. She agreed to come couple's counselling with me before we go, and I think we both want to make this work. I'm optimistic that we can work through this."

"I hope so, Eric. I want you to be happy. I want you both to be happy. And I think I want Isabel to be happy. If anything, she's been too good to you."

"I can't disagree with you there. She's a better person than I am."

"Anyway, I need to go and rescue Stan. Take care of her."

"Will do.

My sister left me my car keys before heading out. I was only waiting another quarter of an hour before Sookie came back, and it was another couple of hours later that I was allowed to take Sookie home. And it felt good to take her to my home. We stopped off at Jason's old place for her to grab some clothes and toiletries before we drove back to my house and we set Sookie up in the room she'd been in at Christmas.

Our conversation since Sookie came back to her hospital room had been mostly light and we avoided any heavier topics regarding her and me. She did tell me about the helicopter ride she took over the Rockies, something I refused to do after being scared off helicopters from Dr Romano's experience of them in _ER_ – something Sookie remembered well from when we used to watch the show together every week.

"Are you okay, Sookie?" I asked her at the end of the day, leaning on the doorjamb and observing her as she sat up in bed reading her Kindle.

"Yes, I am. And thank you again, Eric. I feel like I don't deserve this."

"I don't think that matters. The fact is that if we want this, we need to work on it to make it as good as it used to be. And honestly, I'm looking forward to it."

She smiled. "Me too."

* * *

><p><strong>See – no cliffhanger! And they're on much better terms.<strong>

**Too much, too soon? Are they right to still go on holiday together? Is anyone else petrified of helicopters because of Dr Romano? (I am)**

**I'd love to know your thoughts.**

**;)**


	10. Chapter 10

**Please forgive any errors in this – I'm not a counsellor, and nor have I ever been to one!**

* * *

><p><strong>Sookie<strong>

"So tell me, have you two been intimate together?"

I felt myself blush as Dr Claude Crane – our couple's counsellor – addressed Eric and me. We'd already given him the extensive story of our past, along with the more recent events, and he'd been furiously scribbling down on his note pads as Eric and I relayed the facts to him. I was certainly glad we'd paid for a two-hour session, as at this rate, we were going to need it and it was only a few days until we went to Colorado.

I looked to Eric, not really knowing what to tell him. "We've kissed and hugged," he squeezed my hand which were joined between us on the leather sofa. "No more than that." I shifted uncomfortably on the leather sofa.

"Are we talking French kissing here? Tongues?" I felt myself flush bright red, and Eric smirked at the question. "I am asking this for a reason," Dr Crane scolded.

"No tongues," I said quietly without looking at Eric.

"Okay," he replied thoughtfully. "Sookie, you've been back in Louisiana for around four weeks?" I nodded. "But during that time, you haven't done anything more than what you've just told me despite the fact that you have both said you wanted to give your relationship a go."

"That's correct."

"Is there a reason for that?"

I looked to Eric before answering. "Honestly, we haven't seen too much of each other. I've been settling in here, we've both been busy with work and Eric's been busy in the evenings."

Dr Crane raised an eyebrow. "I find this strange. You both told me earlier that part of the reason you split before was because you didn't make enough time for each other; that you didn't see much of one another to have a relationship. You seem to be making the same mistakes."

He had a point.

"Eric," he continued. "Is there a reason you haven't seen much of Sookie since she moved back? You were the one who asked her to move here."

I watched Eric closely, and he shut his eyes momentarily while running his hand through his hair. "I … I've been having some issues dealing with the split from Isabel."

"Okay, explain that to me."

Eric sighed. "I've been feeling guilty about hurting her."

"Do you still love her?" I watched Eric, anxiously awaiting the answer to the question I really wanted to ask him.

"It's complicated," he answered, and I felt my stomach bottom out. I'd been hoping for a flat 'no'.

"How so?" Dr Crane asked for me.

"It's difficult. It's difficult in that I understand how she can feel about me. I hurt her; I left her for another woman, so she has every right to hate me. But Isabel has never done anything wrong to me. She's always been there for me; she's been patient with me. So I guess that it's a little hard to let go of kindness and friendship she's always shown me."

I could understand that to some extent.

He turned to face me, and I wiped a tear from my eye. "But Sook, the love I have for you – it's so much more. And I don't think I ever stopped loving you. It's always been there, even when I was with Izzy. You coming back … seeing you again … it brought it all back. It made me realise that I love you more."

"But you still love Isabel." It was a statement rather than a question.

"A little," he replied honestly. "But not in the way I love you."

The doctor cut back in. "I understand, Eric, that you have seen Isabel recently?"

"I have."

"For the sake of your relationship with Sookie, I suggest that you don't see her again for a while. You told me that you needed to know that she was okay, and that is understandable. But now you know she's okay, if you want this to work, you need to make sure it's only the two of you in this relationship."

"I can do that." Eric took my hand again and ran his thumb across the back of it. "Sookie is more important to me."

"Sookie, what is your opinion of Isabel?"

That was a hard one to answer, but I wanted to be truthful. "Honestly, I wish that she was easier to not like. If I'd have come back to find Eric in a relationship with a complete bitch or with someone who was cheating on him I'd have found this a lot easier." I didn't look at Eric to see his reaction, but kept my eyes trained on Dr Crane. "I guess I tried to avoid her when she and Eric were together over the summer, mostly from a jealousy point of view. I didn't like see her and Eric together, but on the other hand they seemed so happy together. I have no reason not to like her."

"Okay, so you have no reason not to like her, but do you?"

I shook my head. "No, I don't," I said quietly.

"And why is that?"

"Because I'm scared that Eric still loves her; that he'll realise he's made a mistake with me and go back to her. She just seems too fucking perfect at times, and I wonder what the hell he sees in me."

"Sookie…" Eric said from beside me, but I didn't turn to him.

"You appear to have some self-confidence issues, Sookie. Do you normally react like this?" Dr Crane's voice was strangely calming.

"No. In every other situation I normally am fairly confident and strong."

"Every other situation to what, exactly?"

"This … with Eric. I just feel helpless at times, and I keep on screwing things up. I love him, and I know he loves me, but sometimes I wonder if that's not enough for us."

"What more do you expect?" He glanced at us from across the office as he sat in his large chair, one leg crossed over the other.

"I don't know," I cried. "When we were first together and at college it was so easy for us. Our relationship was so light and we never had any problems despite the fact that we saw each other all the time. We never got bored of each other or felt we had to do other things. I want that back."

"You say you saw each other all the time?" I nodded, and I assumed that Eric did as well when Dr Crane turned to him. "And you get along now when you're together and alone?"

"Yes," Eric answered. I nodded in agreement with him.

"Well, it sounds like if you want this to work, you have to devote time to each other. You two seem to be deeply connected, but you obviously don't do well when there is any kind of distance or misunderstanding between you. You've told me that you're due to spend a week together alone in a ski lodge, and I think that it is what you both need. You need to reconnect on many levels, and reconnecting sexually is an important one. I'm assuming that when you were at college together you had a healthy sex life." I could help but smile in agreement. "Then that is what you need to go back to."

"You're telling us that we need to have sex?" Eric asked the doctor with a slightly incredulous tone to his voice.

"All couples work differently, Eric. People connect on different levels, and what's right for one couple will not always work for another. You have told me that you two worked well when you had no outside distractions, so that is what you need to aim for. But you also need to accept that this isn't going to be as easy as it was for you in college as you have different and greater responsibilities now. But if there is one thing I have established from talking to the two of you, it's that you need to reconnect both emotionally and physically, and you need to focus on your relationship as your sole priority. I think that if you don't then this isn't going to work between you."

He'd certainly given us a lot to think about, and I had to agree with him. Things had been easier when we were younger, and our problems started when we stopped finding the time to see each other. But the problem was that there were other things we needed to overcome before we could get to that stage.

"Sookie, you have a look of concern on your face." Dr Crane was obviously very observant and good at reading people.

"Sookie?" I turned to Eric and smiled, but took a deep breath. He looked worried.

"I do agree with you, Dr Crane. I just feel that there are some hurdles we need to overcome before we can even get to that stage."

"Okay. And what hurdles do you feel those are?" The doctor lightly chewed on the end of his pen.

"I guess I'm referring to some of the fuckups we've both made recently. Me, in particular."

"I can assume you're referring to the events of the last week."

"Yes."

"It is certainly something I planned on bringing up. So let's start with you Sookie." I swallowed nervously. "Would you agree that you have a tendency to run?"

"I can't disagree with that," I told him.

"And from my reckoning, you have run from Eric at least four times and I'd imagine there are more instances you haven't thought to mention to me." He was right there. "Why is that you feel you do this?"

He was the doctor here; I was hoping he could tell me. "I don't know. Maybe because I'm scared about what will happen if I stay … I don't know. It's not intentional … it's a gut reaction."

"You feel safest if you run away?"

"I suppose."

The doctor paused for a moment before turning his attention to Eric. "Eric, what is your opinion on Sookie's tendency to run at times of stress?"

"I wish that she didn't. If Sookie hadn't been so quick to run from me seven years ago we might not be here right now, or if she had stayed and spoken to me when she came back …" I felt my annoyance spike at his comment and I pulled my hand away from him. However, he turned to me and gently retook my hand. "Sook, I'm not blaming this on you. I know this is equally my fault for pushing you away at times. I've let you run from me, and I haven't fought for you when I should have."

"Can you blame her for some of the times she has run from you?" Dr Crane asked. "Like the recent example?"

"Not really," he said with a sigh. "I overreacted, I know that. But I wish that Sookie hadn't ignored me."

"If she had have told you where she was going, and you were able to speak to each other, would you have gone to see Isabel?"

I turned to Eric with interest. "Possibly not. I'm sure she would have called me anyway as her friend reported our argument. But I might not have gone to her house."

I closed my eyes as I realised something. We both had jealousy issues: Eric over me and Alcide, and me with him and Isabel. We were probably as guilty as each other were there, and we weren't good at considering each other's feelings.

"You both realise where you are going wrong?" the doctor asked us both.

"Yeah," Eric answered. "And I am sorry, Sook. I promise to not bring Isabel into this again. I'm grateful to her for how she's helped me, but our relationship is over. You're my future."

We spent the rest of the session talking about recent events and opening up to each other. Dr Crane talked us through the mistakes we made the first time around, and I think we both realised that it was probably inevitable that it wouldn't have lasted back then without something changing. Something would have happened eventually, and it could have been worse than it actually was.

I hadn't realised how much my leaving had hurt him the first time around, and I understood that it was my actions that led him to sleep with so many other women. So me seeing him chatting up three women in the club that night when I came back – that was as a result of my actions.

But Eric also understood my point of view that we didn't seem to be going anywhere. Neither one of us had really been happy in our relationship at the time, and I did have itchy feet to go and explore other opportunities. But the fact was that I had done – we both had done – and to some extent, we probably both needed to. Yet somehow, we were here again together. We had been granted a rare second chance and in recent weeks, we'd been doing our best to screw things up again.

"So," the doctor concluded at the end of the session. "We will meet again after your break together?" I think we both accepted that this holiday probably was make-or-break for us. If we couldn't get along together and make it work while in Colorado, there really seemed no chance for us.

"Yes," Eric took my hand as we stood up. "You've given us both a lot to think over, but I know we're on the same page, and we both want this to work." I smiled up at Eric letting him know that I agreed with him.

"Well, I wish you both the best. It's obvious to me that you do deeply care for and love each other, but really the only advice I can give you is to be completely honest with each other. Don't run from each other, and don't push the other away when things get difficult. You need to fight together, not against each other." I couldn't disagree with him there.

We thanked the doctor and walked slowly to Eric's car. My ankle was still painful following my accident, so Eric let me lean on him so that I didn't have to put my full weight on my right foot. Otherwise, I was mostly okay. The bruising on my head was going down, and although my neck was a little stiff, it was better than I had expected it to be. In reality, considering how bad my car was, I'd come off very lightly from my accident.

"Are you okay?" he asked once I was safely inside the car and buckled up.

"Yeah … I feel a little mentally exhausted though."

"I'd agree with that, Frasier was a little intense at times." I smiled widely at his name for our doctor. "But I meant more your injuries… you're not in pain?"

"I'm fine, Eric. And you need to stop with the guilt. It wasn't your fault. Don't make me drag you back inside to see Niles."

He smiled a little. "I can't help feeling guilty about it, Sook. I let you leave knowing you were upset. You could have been killed."

"I wasn't. Please stop it, Eric. I want us to move on, not look backwards. It's another thing that we need to put behind us, but learn from. Dr Crane was right in saying that we have to work together, and we can't do that if you're feeling guilty all the time."

He took my hand and brought it to his lips. "You're right, Sook. I'm sorry."

"Forgiven." I said with a smile. "Now how about we get some take away, as I'm starving."

Eric agreed, and as we were in Shreveport we picked up a take-away of Thai food before heading back to his house in Bon Temps. In the couple of days that I'd been staying at Eric's house, he'd done his best to look after me, but as we'd explained to the doctor, we hadn't gone any further with the physical side of our relationship.

I supposed that was partly because we were both afraid of ruining things, but after talking to Dr Crane, I was sure that things were going to be different, and there was definitely a sexual tension in the car between us. When we got back to the house, he helped me inside before reheating the food that had cooled on the journey and tucking into the veritable feast of Thai food. We finished with a mango sorbet that Eric already had in his freezer before we relocated to his living room.

Eric pulled me down onto the sofa next to him and wrapped his arms tightly around me as he flicked through the channels. It was still a little strange being in his living room again considering what had been said between us less than a week before. But this time was more relaxing and we were certainly closer each other.

But I can't say I really look much notice of what was on the TV as Eric's fingers were gently running through my hair in the way I'd always loved him doing, and my head was resting on his firm chest with my right arm wrapped around his abdomen and playing with the bottom of his t-shirt.

"Aaahhh!" he yelled out as I gently tickled his side with my fingertips, and I smiled widely remembering how ticklish he was. Of course his reaction only made me push my hand up under his top to tickle him more. "Stop it, woman!" he whined, but I was enjoying myself too much. I moved my left arm underneath me so I could assault him from both sides.

He shrieked again and tried to push me off, but it was only a half-hearted attempt and instead he tried to tickle me on my sides.

"Northman, you know I'm not ticklish." I could hear the amusement in my own voice.

"Really? I seem to remember your feet being very ticklish." He moved quickly to grab one of my feet, and I screamed blue murder as he grabbed my non-injured left ankle.

"Noooooo!" I yelled out. "Please don't! I'm sorry; I won't tickle you ever again!" He had my ankle firm in his hand and he ran a finger painstakingly slowly down the sole of my foot. I shrieked loudly as he hit a particularly sensitive spot, and I launched myself at him, tickling his sides in an attempt to get him to drop my foot.

He did just that, play fighting with me to stop me from tickling him before pinning me to the sofa, using his superior weight and strength to keep me in one spot.

Only as soon as we were in this position the humour disappeared and our eyes locked on each other's. "Eric," I whispered gently as he let go of my hands and I moved them to his sides. We laid there, staring into each other's eyes and both panting a little, his strong arms acting like a cage around me and his knees were either side of my legs.

I was silently begging him to kiss me, and my eyes shot to his lips as he moistened them with his pink tongue. I raised my head a little and I was met my Eric's lips gently kissing my top one. We both pulled back and regained eye contact once more, before mutually restarting this kiss at precisely the same time.

He tasted just as I remembered as our lips danced together, kissing gently at first before we started to claw and pull at each other. I moaned loudly as he ran his hands down my body, and he took the opportunity to use his tongue to meet mine, massaging it gently. He moved his body to allow more of his weight to rest on me, and ground against me as he involuntarily thrust his hips.

"Fuck," I moaned, my fingers digging into his back as I pulled him closer still.

We were kissing deeply, both of us panting and trying to get much needed friction. I knew I was certainly horny, and considering the bulge in Eric's jeans, he was too. I pulled at the bottom of his t-shirt and started to yank it upwards. Eric took the hint and pulled it off in one swift move to reveal his perfect torso.

I was almost slack-jawed as I took him in. He was the perfect specimen of a man, with rippling abs, toned pectoral muscles and perfectly muscular neck, shoulders and arms. I nearly came from the sight of him alone, and I couldn't have stopped my hands from wandering over him if I had tried.

"You are so hot," I muttered, leaning up to kiss him on the neck as I remembered he always used to like me doing.

He moaned aloud and started pulling at my own t-shirt, almost ripping it off me and somehow managing to unhook my bra at the same time. He always did have a knack for doing that. He threw my upper garments onto the floor and palmed both of my breasts, squeezing deliciously before taking my left nipple into his mouth and running his tongue around it as I almost leapt of the sofa in delight.

He resumed kissing me, holding my hands above my head with his other hand plunged into my hair. With my lack of arms, I resorted to using my feet to push his ass closer into me, but instead ended up yelping in pain as I over-exerted my injured ankle.

"Are you okay?" he asked concerned, pulling back from me, letting go of my arms and meeting my eyes.

"Yeah … I just used my ankle when I shouldn't have. I'm fine. And happy to continue this …" I trailed off and placed a kiss on his neck.

"You have no idea how much I want to."

I was sure I did. "I do. But you're thinking we should slow down a little before we hop straight back into bed?"

He nodded. And as much as I would happily have carried that make-out session on to its natural conclusion, he was probably right.

"But that doesn't mean we can't enjoy ourselves…" Eric had a smirk in his eye. He climbed off me and gave me my t-shirt back, but not my bra, which I pulled on over my head. I was pleased at least that Eric didn't put his top back on.

Eric let out a contented sigh as he pulled me into his side once more. We kissed lazily while watching an old James Bond movie on the TV and kept it relatively PG rated, although my hands did spent a lot of time roaming his torso.

"Bed-time?" he asked once the movie was over. I looked over at the clock to see that it was past half-ten and Eric had to work the next day.

"Sure,"

I had planned to stand myself, but Eric scooped me into his arms and carried me upstairs. However, he took me into his room instead of the one across the hall that I'd been sleeping in.

"You're sure?" I asked as he gently placed me on the bed.

"I'd like you to."

"I'd like to as well. Although, I could probably do with getting my toothbrush and nightdress."

I smiled as Eric rolled his eyes and I went to get my things. I didn't know whether he wanted me to formally move into his room, so for the time being I just picked up what I needed, and got changed in the main bathroom.

When I came back, Eric was only wearing a pair of black and red boxer shorts and was lying in a provocative position in the centre of the large bed.

I stood in the doorway and raised an eyebrow, glad that I'd changed into my more attractive red satin nightie.

"You're such a poser," I admonished, but he didn't look at all ashamed.

"I just thought from that way you were feeling me up downstairs that you'd like to see all of me?" He hoicked an eyebrow up at me in challenge.

"You're incorrigible."

"Problem?"

"No … not really."

I went over to the side of the bed that had always been mine before and laid down without thinking any more about it. I rolled over to face him, my eyes travelling down to his boxers once more.

"Hey, I recognise these!" I gently fingered the edge of his silk boxer shorts, immediately recognising the ladybug pattern I'd bought for him probably ten years earlier. I was hugely surprised he still had them.

Eric's expression was a mixture of kindness and a little sadness. "I couldn't get rid of them when you left. I kept a box of gifts you'd given me and when I moved here I couldn't throw them out."

"I take it Isabel never knew?" I asked gently.

He shook his head. "No."

I placed my hand on his chest. "I'm sorry that I hurt you, Eric. I never meant to. I honestly thought I was doing the right thing."

He pulled me close to his side and breathed in deeply. "I think in retrospect maybe you were doing the right thing. We both needed to do our own thing for a bit. All I care about right now if that you're here with me."

I couldn't keep the smile off my face. "I'm where I want to be."

"Good. Are you looking forward to Colorado?"

"Yes … hugely, actually. I think a change of scenery would do us both good. But we're going to talk some more, right?" I sat up a little to meet his eyes.

"Yeah, we probably need to continue what Dr Crane has started, but I think we're on a good path." He leant down and kissed me before I broke into a yawn.

"Sorry!" I said once I'd finished yawning, although I only seemed to set Eric off.

"It's obviously sleepy time. Can I get you anything?"

"No, I'm good thanks. Night, love."

"Night, Sook. I love you."

"I love you more."

I curled up on my right side while Eric turned off the lights and wrapped his long, hard body around me. I felt so safe and secure in his arms, and more importantly, completely loved.

* * *

><p><strong>So… progress, and they're in bed together even if it is partly clothed (in ladybug boxers). What do you think of the counselling? Are they in the right place together? Do they need more sex?<strong>

**Colorado in the next chapter.**

**I'd love to know your thoughts.**


	11. Chapter 11

**This chapter is made from lemonade…**

* * *

><p><strong>Eric<strong>

"You have got to be kidding me!"

I looked over to Sookie as we pulled into the lodge I'd rented for the both of us for the week. I stopped the car and climbed out of the driver's side as Sookie jumped out of the passenger side.

"Eric, this place looks like it could sleep fifteen!" she was staring at the large wooden building in front of us, and I stepped up behind her and wrapped my arms around her waist.

"Twelve, actually."

I kissed her on the head before stepping away from her and going to the trunk of the car to grab both of our bags. Her ankle was pretty much healed, but there was no way I was going to let her carry one when she'd already nearly slipped over in the snow at the airport. The girl was not good with ice, and I had no idea how she managed living in New York without breaking any bones.

"There are only two of us!"

"Yes, well at this late notice there wasn't much availability. I only got this place because there was a cancellation. And anyway, it doesn't matter. It'll be nice being just the two of us even if this place is huge. Now, do you think you can make the door without falling over?"

She stuck her tongue out at me before walking gingerly towards the entranceway, clinging onto the rail as she climbed the steps. After bringing both bags from the car, I unlocked the chalet and let us both in. We both took off our coats, scarves and boots, and left them by the doorway as we ventured inside.

The chalet had three storeys with six bedrooms, a recreation room, large kitchen and dining room, living room and an outdoor hot tub. It was also catered, meaning that we didn't have to cook our own breakfasts or evening meals, and we'd hopefully already bought enough food to cover us for lunchtimes. In short, we didn't have to leave the chalet until we were due to fly back to Louisiana.

"Eric, this place is incredible!"

She had a huge smile on her face as she looked around, and I had to agree with her. There were wooden beams and exposed tresses, warm carpets and rugs on the wooden floor and a fire already burning fiercely in the grate. There were also incredible mountain views, and both of us were a little astounded at the beauty of the snow-covered peaks that were so different to our native Louisiana.

"Thank you," she grinned at me, and she pulled me down into a passionate kiss. I plunged my hands into her hair before running my cold hands down her neck.

As expected, she shrieked loudly and ran from me as fast as she could, ending up in the direction of the master bedroom. The room was large a light with huge windows along one wall and decorated in neutral colours with a dark red bedspread. She jumped onto the huge bed and I followed her, pinning her down and running my cold hands over any exposed skin I could find.

"Eric, get off me! You're freezing!"

"I know," I said with a grin as I placed a kiss on her lips.

She sighed contentedly as she pulled me down next to her, seemingly not caring anymore about my cold hands. She wrapped her body around me and placed her head on my chest. I buried my head into her hair and breathed her in. I could tell that she was happy, and I felt just as blissful.

"So … a week alone together … no distractions. What will we do?" she was smiling wildly up at me, and I simply raised an eyebrow. I could think of a few things for us to do alone together. In many different positions. "You have a dirty mind, Northman."

"I have no idea what you're talking about." I tried to feign innocence, and I knew she was thinking exactly the same thing. "What did you mean?"

She rolled her eyes, obviously not convinced.

"You know perfectly well what I meant." She straddled me and placed gentle kisses down my neck, nipping my skin every now and again.

"Sook, if I had my way I'd keep us naked and in bed for the next week."

"Would you now?" she raised an eyebrow.

We hadn't actually slept together since our reunion, but we had both definitely been leading towards it. In truth, we were more than ready to go past that last hurdle, but we also both wanted it to be special, so decided to wait until we got here. But that wasn't to say that we hadn't enjoyed our last few days together since Dr Crane gave us a kick in the right direction.

In truth, neither one of us really knew why we'd been holding back before then. Or we did, but we couldn't quite work out why we thought we had to. If we had of just given into our baser desires, we may not have had some of the recent problems. However, I knew that neither one of us was too disappointed by the good doctor's advice as we remembered all too well how great we could be together.

So, the fact that we had stayed away from each other was nothing short of a miracle.

"Yes," I answered her resolutely. "Although are you still cold?"

"A little," she responded.

"How do you fancy a bath? We could share resources and take one together."

She gave me a beautiful and lusty smile, and ground down on me, knowing that I was already hard for her. "Sounds like a plan, and it's always good to look after the environment." She leaned down and kissed me. "This looks like the best room, so let's go and grab the bags."

"How about you remove your clothes and get the bath running and I'll join you in a minute." I gave her a wink.

She climbed off with me and went to investigate the bathroom. I followed her in, seeing there was a large and deep corner Jacuzzi bath before going to get the bags. I placed another couple of logs of the fire before I picked up a bottle of champagne we'd bought after leaving Denver and two glasses from the cupboard.

I stripped down to my boxers before opening the champagne and carrying it all into the bathroom. Sookie was already in the bath and had the jets running so that her body was partly obscured by bubbles. I poured up both a glass of fizz, handing one to her before slowly stripping off my boxers and climbing into the tub. I was highly aware that Sookie was watching me closely, and I found it cute that her mouth hung open a little as she watched me. I obviously had the same effect on her as she did for me.

"See something you like?" I teased.

"Yes, the champagne."

I mockingly scowled at her. "To us," I said, holding my glass out to her. "A new start." She smiled and gently clinked the top of her glass against mine, echoing my words before we both took long sips of the fizzy liquid.

She sighed appreciatively and slipped further down into the bubbles. She placed her glass on the back of the bath in the corner, and wet her hair so that it streaked down her back. I'd always had a thing for Sookie with wet hair, and she knew it.

"Happy?" she asked me. We were sat on opposite sides of the tub on the small inside step. We'd both been smiling at each other, but were lost within our own worlds.

"Very," I smiled back at her.

"Is there any way I can improve things for you?" her smile was positively wicked.

"You could come here."

"Really?" she stood up in the tub, the water coming to her waist. I couldn't keep my eyes off her naked body as the water slid in trails down her body and her wet hair hung long and straight down her back. She was a goddess.

Her breasts were heaving, but there was a challenge in her eyes. She was deliberately taunting me.

Only two could play that game.

After a mouthful of champagne, I placed my glass down and stood up in the bath as well, towering over her. She tried to keep eye contact with me, but she failed miserably. Her eyes dropped to my torso and then lower down to where my cock was standing to attention between us.

This was becoming a game of cat and mouse to see which one of us was going to break first, and considering how stubborn we both were, it was probably an even match. But then, we were both also somewhat desperate for each other, so really, it was anyone's game and neither one of us would really be the loser.

Sookie gazed at me lustily, but there was a smirk on her lips as she moistened them with her tongue. I raised an eyebrow as she suddenly dropped to her knees in front of me and took me into her mouth in one smooth move. I couldn't help the loud groan that escaped my lips, and it was all I could do to not thrust violently into her mouth or take control of the back of her head.

"Fuck, Sookie. So good."

She moved one hand to my ass, gripping firmly as she sucked and swirled her tongue around me, altering her movements every now and again as she rotated between swallowing me down into her throat and focusing solely on the head of my cock while she worked the rest with her spare hand.

I had actually forgotten how good Sookie was at giving head, and, if anything, her skills had only improved in the years since we'd last been together.

I had to admit that I was incredibly horny from wanting her these last few days, and therefore I was embarrassingly close to climax after not too long of her attentions. I started to groan with pleasure, my hand moving into her wet hair and I started to gently pump my hips as I stared down at her.

But just as I was just moments away from climax, she pulled back with a satisfied smirk on her lips and sat back in the bath. I was more than a little dumbfounded, and I stared at her slack-jawed as she picked up her glass and sipped seductively while maintaining eye contact.

So she wanted to play. Well two could play that game.

I remained standing where I was but brought my right hand around to my cock, spreading the pre-cum over my hand and gently starting to stroke myself. It wasn't as good as her hot and moist mouth, or other areas of her I intended to be in, but with Sookie gazing on it was a suitable alternative.

Her blue eyes were fixed on me, flicking between watching what I was doing and meeting my eyes, which in turn were locked on her. She was gently biting her lip, and it was clear that she was turned on by my display. And not to mention that I was hugely turned on by her watching me.

I couldn't help but smile as a moan escaped her lips, and I noticed that although one of her hands was tightly gripping the side of the bath, the other one had disappeared underneath the water and I could only imagine that she was pleasuring herself.

That thought alone was enough for me to explode into orgasm, and I shot my seed across the bath in Sookie's direction, her name on my lips as I came.

After I'd regained a little clarity, I gave her a challenging look, stepped across the tub and scooped her up into my arms. I sat back down and held her naked body tight to me. Her arms wrapped themselves around my neck and she buried her head into the crook of my neck. I ran my hands down her body, palming her left breast and running my hand down her body between her legs. She opened her legs appreciatively, and I dipped a finger deeper into her wet heat and found that spot that her made her squeal.

"Fuck … Eric …"

She was panting as I worked my finger inside of her, and when I moved my thumb to her clit she began to lose control. She started panting, her arms tightening around my neck and I knew she was close.

And because I'm an evil bastard, I stopped and removed my hand.

"Eric!" She tried to grind down on my leg, moving her arms from my neck, but I held her fast. "Don't be cruel," she complained.

"You started it, lover." I couldn't keep the smirk off my face.

"Please?" She started to kiss and nibble down my neck, and the truth was that I was already ready for her.

I gently pushed her off my lap and stood up. I flashed her a wink before climbing out of the bath and extended a hand to her to help her out. I tried us both off, taking time to dry the ends of her hair before I scooped her up in my arms once more and carried her bridal style into the living room. I placed her down on the soft rug in front of the fire before running back into the bathroom and grabbing the champagne and glasses.

"This is perfect, Eric. Thank you." She was giving me a beautiful smile as I walked back into the large, open-plan room.

"Not as perfect as you."

I climbed over her, pushing her flat down onto the rug and running my fingers over her exposed flesh. I sucked her left nipple into my mouth while gently twisting the other between my thumb and forefinger. She moaned loudly, arching her body closer to mine as I kissed further down her body.

When I reached her centre with my lips she was almost pushing my head into her sex, and I chuckled at her enthusiasm. She hissed with pleasure and moaned as I slid two fingers inside, my lips and tongue working her nub.

It didn't take long at all for her to erupt into her first orgasm, a string of unladylike expletives leaving her lips as I gently worked her through it.

Once she'd recovered she opened her eyes and met mine with a firm gaze. "I want you, Eric. I need you."

She pulled my head down to her, and kissed me deeply. One of her hands was running up my chest while her other one gripped my cock firmly and stroked me a few times. I was more than ready for her.

We'd already had the whole birth control discussion, and since we were both clean and she was on the pill, we decided to forego the need for condoms. Something I was more than happy with.

"You're sure?" I met her eyes giving her a chance to back out, but there was not a shadow of a doubt in them.

"Definitely."

I climbed over her, pinning her to the floor and rubbed the tip of my penis along her sex causing us both to moan. She was incredible and so beautiful, and being with her just felt right. I pulled her up a little and moved to sit crossed leg on the floor, the fire crackling in the grate to my right and I indicated for Sookie to join me.

She did just that, obviously remembering how the lotus position had always been one of our favourites for intimacy, and helped guide my cock into her warm heat.

We both groaned and moaned in delight when I was fully inside her, and I gave her some time to adjust to me before we started to gently rock with each other. It was perfect, and we ran our hands over each other's exposed skin as we kissed and whispered quietly to each other. It started slow and passionate as we acclimatised to each other's bodies again, but after not too long the need was building in both of us. Our hands started to grip each other firmer, our movements became more frantic, and our moans and groans increased in frequency and volume until we both grunted out our orgasms loudly.

She panted in my arms as we both came down from our highs, but I remained inside her as I began to soften. I was sure that I didn't want to be anywhere else than inside her, and from her lack of movement I could only imagine she felt the same.

"I love you," she whispered into my neck, her hot breath tickling me.

"I love you too." I pulled back so I could see her eyes. They were a little misty, but I could see that there were tears of happiness rather than anything more sinister.

I rolled us back down onto the rug so we were lying next to each other by the fire. She was flat on her back, while I laid on my side and ran both my eyes and my fingers over her naked body.

"I think I needed that," she said with a smile.

"You're not the only one, believe me. I've wanted you since I you came back to Bon Temps."

She sighed and gave me a strange look. "Really, Eric? You weren't exactly single when I came back."

"That makes me sound like a complete shit, doesn't it?" I ran my hand through my hair. "But in some ways it's true. I was so confused when you came back, and I hated you dating Alcide. Things were a lot more simple before you appeared again, but I already know how much happier I am with you. And that's nothing against Isabel, but it's the truth."

She leaned up and kissed me softly on the lips, sighing contentedly as we kissed lazily.

After laying in each other's arms for around half an hour, Sookie suddenly moved and caught my attention. "I was thinking that it may be best if we're not naked when the food arrives."

"You're probably right," I said with a sigh. I stood and helped her up, feeling the sting of her slap on my ass as I led her back into the bedroom.

"I think you're right," she said after we were changed.

"About what?"

"Being naked for this holiday. I think I prefer you without clothes."

I pulled her into my arms. "I'm with you on that one. I prefer me naked as well!"

.

Unfortunately for both of us, the week flew by and before we knew it, it was the last night before we had to leave the next morning.

Despite Sookie's initial reluctance to use the outside Jacuzzi, after I pretty much threw her in on our second night, she soon learned to love the heat from the water contrasting the freezing cold air.

"And what exactly am I going to tell people we did when I get back? I'm sure they would have expected us to go skiing at least once."

I shrugged. "We didn't come for the skiing. And anyway, you were recovering from a sprained ankle and car crash, so strenuous activity wasn't advisable. Well … not that kind anyway!"

She rolled her eyes. "I've had such an awesome time though. Thank you."

"My _pleasure_." She slapped my chest. "We're going to be alright. I know it. You and me … this is for good now."

She smiled. "I know. But we still have to work at us. We mustn't take advantage of what we have."

"We won't."

She climbed onto my lap, straddling me and teasing the tip of my cock with her hot and slick centre before she slid down and we both moaned in pleasure and gratitude. I'd tried to keep a tally of the number of times we'd had sex over the week, but we'd both lost count, and I had to admit to getting a little bigheaded over that. But then to me, Sookie was completely irresistible.

"We should come back here again," she panted once we'd both recovered from our orgasms.

"That sounds like a good idea."

"But maybe we could venture outside of the chalet next time?"

"I'm not agreeing to anything," I slapped her ass as we dashed into the warmth of the house and both tumbled inside.

.

.

It wasn't right; I didn't like it.

We'd been back three weeks from Colorado, but I hated not having Sookie in my home. She'd gone back to Jason's house, and although we saw each other often and spoke every day that we didn't see the other, I didn't like being without her.

But I also understood Sookie's reasons for not wanting to move in with me permanently despite the fact that she hadn't said as much. And it was something I intended to finding a way around.

"Sook, if I ask you a question, will you give me an honest answer?"

I was sitting in Jason's kitchen as she was baking some bread to have with the lasagne she'd already made.

She turned and raised an eyebrow. "Sounds ominous. But you know I won't lie to you."

"Even if you think I won't like your answer?"

She had a slight look of fear in her eyes. "Eric, what are you getting at?"

I sighed. "I want to live with you. I don't like spending nights away from you."

"That's not a question."

"No, it's not. But my question is: is Isabel's presence in my house the reason you don't want to live with me?"

We'd already had this discussion to some extent when we came back from holiday, and she'd suggested that for the time being she'd prefer to live at Jason's house. Only I wasn't quite sure that I believed her reasoning.

"Eric …"

"Please, Sook. Honest answer; you're not going to hurt my feelings."

She washed her hands and sat down at the table. "Honestly then? Yes. You lived there with her, and her influence is all over that house. That's not to say it isn't gorgeous, but I guess it makes me think of you two a little too much." She didn't mention the fact that I was sleeping with her in the same bed as I did Izzy, but I knew that too was on her mind.

"I thought that was the case," I told her.

"Look, that doesn't mean we can't live together …" she trailed off, and I could see she was a little tearful. I knew this was a sensitive subject with her.

"I have a suggestion, and I'd like to run it past you."

She looked at me curiously. "Okay."

"I've been thinking …"

"Careful there, big man, you may do some damage!"

"Funny."

"I know."

I mockingly growled at her. "Anyway … I was thinking about Hoyt and Jessica who live in your Gran's house. Have you met them?"

"Only briefly. Why?"

"Well, they have three sons already, and I found out last week that Jessica's expecting again. And … well … my house is bigger and more modern … and what if we asked them if they wanted to live there instead."

I watched her anxiously for her response.

"You mean ask them to move out of Gran's house and into yours?"

"Yes."

"And where would you live."

"With you. At your Gran's place." She took a deep breath but didn't say anything. "And I'm sure that you can agree your Gran's house needs some work doing to it, which we could do. I just thought …" I trailed off, fearful that she didn't like the idea. "It doesn't matter."

"No, Eric, I love it." She had tears in her eyes as she gazed at me. "You really mean it?"

"Yes. I want to be with you in a place where you will be comfortable. And I know you love your Gran's house. This way we can be together, start a home together, and not feel guilty about making Hoyt and Jessica homeless. What do you say?"

"I think it's perfect. Do you think they'll agree to it?"

"I see no reason why not. We can keep their rent the same, and they'd be getting a larger property out of it."

"And we can do such great things to Gran's place! You're right in saying it needs some work done, but I still have some cash from my parents' life insurance money …" she paused for breath and moved to sit on my lap. "It's a brilliant idea, Eric. You're not just a pretty face, are you?"

I raised an eyebrow. "Sookie, my love, I have many endearing qualities. A handsome face is only of them."

"Big-headed much?"

"I think you are fairly well acquainted with my _head_. And the rest of my cock for that matter."

"You're unbelievable." She climbed off my lap and went over to the kitchen counter.

"I'm glad you think so," I smirked back at her.

She rolled her eyes. "Is there anything that you cannot make dirty?"

"Not really. And I'd love to make you dirty right now."

"I'm trying to bake. And you know we don't do quick sex."

I smirked at her once more. "I hope you aren't complaining about my stamina?"

"No, Eric." She'd said it through gritted teeth, but I knew she wasn't mad at me. Frustrated maybe, but not mad.

I stood up and pinned her to counter, my arms wrapped around her upper body. "I can't wait to live with you full time, Sookie. Again, that is. We fucked it up last time, but there is absolutely no way that I am going to let anything come between us now. You're mine, and I am yours whether you like it or not."

"I like it," she said with a smile, reaching around and placing her hands on my butt. She squeezed hard before slapping both cheeks in turn. "Now how about you let me get on with this. If you do, I'll ride you all night." She raised an eyebrow.

"I think as deals go, I can live with that one."

"Good. Now giddy up and let me work."

She gave me a beautiful smile as she continued working, and I checked a few emails on my iPhone as we talked about our days.

It was what we'd missed the first time around. We were both too busy with our own careers to spend this type of time together, and in the end it was a large contributing factor to our breakup. But maybe we'd not quite been ready to be together at that time. Maybe we needed the time apart to age and grow.

And I was certain that we were good this time. We'd had a few more sessions with Dr Crane after coming back from Colorado, but he was happy enough with our progress that he discharged us, and I stopped seeing Dr Brigant. And in truth, I loved my evenings with Sookie; they were what got me through the day. I loved waking up with her and knowing where she was. It was why I wanted to live with her, and why I suggested we start afresh in her Gran's house where there weren't so many ghosts of relationships past.

But the one thing I knew was that this time it was for good.

* * *

><p><strong>Okay … so that's it. <strong>

**I'm going to write a short epilogue, but that's the end of this little ditty. I hope you enjoyed it, and I'd like to thank everyone who's taken the time to read this, set an alert or favourite, or reviewed the story. I'm grateful to everyone.**

**I don't have any immediate plans for another story, but a few ideas floating around my head that I may start when I get some more time.**

**Thanks again … epilogue should be up in a few days.**

Oh, and Mr Ball? Please don't screw things up. We know who Sookie should choose, and it ain't Queen Beeeell.**  
><strong>


	12. Epilogue

**Epilogue – Eric**

"Eric?"

I turned around at the familiar voice to see that Isabel had been standing behind me. I was shocked to see her, as I hadn't seen or heard from her since she dropped me off at the hospital that day three years earlier. And since Alcide and Maria had split up only a few months after that, we didn't have many friends in common any more.

She looked good; her green eyes were smiling at me, and she looked calm and relaxed. And she was also pregnant, or certainly looked to be pregnant.

"Isabel … how are you?"

"I'm good, thank you. Yourself?"

"Yeah, I'm great. You're … wow … you're pregnant?"

"No," she snapped with a frown, the smile in her eyes suddenly disappearing. "So I put on a few pounds." She crossed her arms defensively across her chest.

I was traumatised. "Shit, Iz, I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that. You really do look great; really healthy." I had done this once before.

"Well maybe you should think before you speak. I'd have thought you would have learnt your lesson on that one." She was giving me a dirty look, but I noticed a telltale smirk in the corner of her mouth.

"I smell bullshit, Isabel." I raised an eyebrow.

She laughed openly and rolled her eyes, placing a hand protectively over her stomach. "Sorry, I couldn't resist it. I really would have thought you'd have known it's best not to ask a woman if she's pregnant!"

"Funny," I deadpanned.

She was referring to a time when I'd mistakenly asked one of her friends if she was pregnant. It was probably only the second or third time I'd met her, and there had probably been a gap of about five months in that time. But as far as I was concerned, no woman could put on that much weight that quickly.

"Nicola always hated you for that. But for the record, she's about three times that size now."

"Wow," I said as I let out a breath.

"And really, Eric, you don't think meeting me in the baby department was a giveaway at all?"

"You're probably right there," I admitted. I looked around to see that yes, we were in fact surrounded by baby clothes. It wasn't my natural environment to be in and I wasn't entirely comfortable.

"So … um … you and Sookie?"

I smiled. "We're good. We got married last summer." I ran my thumb over the back of my wedding ring.

She had a slight flash of pain in her eyes before she gave me a genuine smile. "I'm happy for you both. Really."

"Thank you."

Almost out of nowhere, a tall, black-haired man came up behind her. He was dressed solely in black and moved to stand close to her, wrapping his arms protectively around her. I didn't miss the fact that he was obviously assessing me with his unnaturally blue eyes.

"Eric, this is my fiancé Lieutenant Daniel Kane of the Shreveport Police Department." She snuggled back into his arms and I could see that she was in love with him. And the full use of his title was somewhat of a warning to me. "Daniel, this is my ex, Eric Northman."

He narrowed his eyes briefly before reaching around Isabel and offering me a hand to shake. His handshake was firm, but I wasn't going to let him intimidate me. I noticed Izzy role her eyes at the display of masculinity and the obvious testosterone that was in the air.

"I've heard a lot about you, Northman. Good to finally put a face to the man." It was somewhat of a threat, and there wasn't an easy way to answer that one, so I said nothing. I didn't want to get into a pissing match with him, and it was completely pointless anyway.

"Eric?"

I felt a warm hand on my back and turned to see Sookie stood there. I brought her into my side and wrapped my arm around her, settling my hand on her large belly.

"Sookie … how are you?" Isabel asked her. There was no malice in her eyes as she viewed my wife.

"I'm good, thank you. It's good to see you too … you look happy."

"I am. This is my fiancé Daniel Kane." Sookie nodded and smiled to him, and he did the same but didn't take his hands off his fiancée. "You look fit to burst! How far are you?"

Sookie looked down at her own huge belly and smiled. "Seven months."

"Wow … are you sure? You look huge!"

"Tell me about it," she grumbled. "It's twins. And luckily for me they're mutant Northman babies and are both fricking huge."

She shook her head and scowled up at me. She seemed to think it was my fault that both babies were much larger than they should have been at this stage of her pregnancy. "Hey, you're the one that weight ten pounds at birth. It's not my fault!"

She growled at me before returning her attention to Isabel. "When are you due?"

"I have three months to go. Honestly, I'm starting to get to that stage when I want it over and done with, and three months seems such a long time. I can't wait to see our son." Daniel leaned down and kissed her forehead.

"Tell me about it. We're having one of each, and the only conciliation about them being so huge is that I may go into labour early."

"Not too early, hey?" I interjected.

"So when are you guys getting married?" Sookie asked them and ignoring me.

Isabel looked up at Daniel. "We haven't set a date yet. I'm kind of torn between wanting to do it soon, and wanting our son to be old enough to remember it."

"That's a tough decision," Sookie agreed.

"Look … um … I was thinking," Isabel started, a little unsure of herself. "Why don't we all meet up some time to catch up properly? We're a little busy right now, and I'm sure Sookie's as desperate to sit down as I am … so why don't we exchange numbers and arrange a time."

I was a little surprised by Isabel's suggestion, and I could see that her fiancé wasn't too keen on the idea. But Sookie gave me a supportive squeeze to let me know she was okay with it.

"Sounds good, as long as you're both happy with that." I looked to Daniel Kane in particular.

"I am if Izzy is," he confirmed.

"Sure. Sookie, can I get your number? I'm not sure I trust these two!"

Sookie laughed and agreed with her, digging her phone out of her purse so that she could swap numbers with my ex. I wasn't sure quite how comfortable I was with this, and from the look of him, Daniel Kane wasn't too hot on the idea either. But both girls seemed happy enough, and in both being pregnant, they had something to bond over.

After they'd exchanged numbers, we all said our goodbyes and went in our separate directions. Sookie and I paid for the items she'd picked up in the store for our soon-to-be-arriving little ones, and we headed to a nearby restaurant to get some lunch and for Sookie to rest a little. I knew how much work it must be for her to be so pregnant, and I was more than willing to do everything and anything she required of me.

"She seems happy," Sookie mused when we were eating. These days she could rival me in appetite, although she tried to keep her food healthier than mine normally was.

"She does."

"And he seems like he loves her."

I sighed. "I hope so. She deserves to have someone to love her considering the shit I put her through."

"And he's hot." Sookie had a devious smile on her face and I knew that she was deliberately taunting me.

"Lover …" my tone was in warning, and I raised an eyebrow.

"I'm just saying that the girl has good taste." She was clearly enjoying herself. "But of course he isn't a patch on you." She blew me a kiss.

"Correct answer," I growled.

Sookie laughed. "Shit, Eric, I never had you for one lacking self-confidence!"

I ran a hand through my hair, and when Sookie saw that I wasn't laughing, she sobered up. "Sensitive subject, I guess."

"I'm sorry, Eric. I didn't mean it like that. I want her to be happy as well. I still feel guilty at times that I have you. At least now I know she has someone to love as well, who obviously loves her." She gave me a beautiful smile. "I love you, you know that."

"I know. And I love you more." I took her hand and kissed the back of it.

"But you're okay with us meeting up?" she asked me. "Because I'm sure Isabel would understand if you didn't want to do this. We can blame it on me, if you want."

"I'm fine with it. I guess I'd like to catch up with her now that we've both moved on with our lives. And as long as you're happy with it. I don't want to make you uncomfortable."

"I'm fine. If it wasn't for the jealousy I felt for her the last time I really met her, I'm sure I'd have liked her!"

I breathed deeply and took my wife in. She really was a beautiful and generous woman, and I didn't think I could be happier. But there had always been a slight remnant of my guilt around Isabel, and when I'd occasionally thought of her, I'd always hoped that she was happy. Now, I knowing that she was, I felt like it was one last weight lifted off my mind. And I did want to be friends with her; I always had done, bur before now it wouldn't have been good for either of us.

"You ready, lumpy?" I asked once she'd finished eating.

"Watch it, mister, or I'll sit on you!"

.

"Will you sit down?"

"Eric, I'm pregnant, not an invalid."

"You're eight months pregnant, with two monster babies. Sit. Let me do this."

"Eric…"

"I mean it, Sookie. It's bad enough that you've been on your feet for the past hour. Stop fussing, woman, and sit your ass down. I know how to put a pie in the oven."

Sookie raised an eyebrow. "You sure?"

I poked my tongue out at her, but stood watching her until she finally sat down at the kitchen table.

"Better?" she snarked.

"Much."

"You're not taking credit for that pie."

I laughed. "Hardly. Isabel knows me well enough to know that home cooking like that is not my style. I'm more the type to buy something and chuck it in the oven."

"Don't I know it," she grumbled. I mockingly scowled at her. "You really are excellent at heating stuff. I'm very impressed."

"I make an excellent roast and you know it."

"Yes, Eric, you have a great one-dish repertoire!"

Our bickering was interrupted by the sound of a car pulling into the driveway. "Don't even think about it," I warned Sookie when she made an attempt to get up to greet our guests. "In fact, why don't you go into the living room where you'll be more comfortable."

She gave me a dirty look but did as I asked. It had been a point of contention between us over the last couple of weeks, and particularly when I had started to do most of my work at home so I could be around for her. I was often accused of smothering her and being overly protective, but from talking to Stan and a few other friends who'd gone through this, it was apparently fairly common and I didn't take it to heart.

To me, she was the most important being in my life, and she was carrying a very important cargo. It seemed like it had brought out some kind of protective instinct out in me, and I wasn't going to let anything happen to her. And if that meant that I had to endure some crankiness from her; then so be it.

Once I saw that Sookie was heading to the more comfortable living room, I went to let Isabel and Daniel into our home. Over the years we'd spent time and money on expanding and completely redecorating the house that Sookie had grown up in. We'd fitted more modern features and had the place completely re-wired. We'd also built an extension on the house similar to the one in my old house, and we'd spent time and effort making sure that the place fitted both of our tastes.

"Eric, how are you?" Daniel was helping Isabel up the stairs, and I could see that in the month since I'd last seen her, she'd grown considerably.

"Good. You've expanded."

"Yeah … thanks. How's Sookie doing?"

"Resembling a beached whale right now," I said with a smile.

"_I heard that!"_ Sookie yelled from inside the house, and I smiled wildly. Isabel narrowed her eyes, but Daniel was smiling.

"She's getting difficult," I clarified to them both as I showed them in. Isabel slapped my arm hard.

"You're a braver man than me," Daniel joked.

I showed them both into the living room and, after getting us all drinks, I went to sit down next to Sookie. She scowled like an angry kitten, but I ignored her and pulled her into my arms. None of us were drinking alcohol as the girls obviously couldn't from pregnancy, and I knew I wasn't going to in case I had to drive Sookie to the hospital. I could only imagine the same held with Daniel.

"I like what you've done here," Isabel commented as she looked around the room. Up to that point I had forgotten that I'd brought Isabel to Sookie's house when we found out her Gran had died.

"Thanks," Sookie told her. "It's been a bit of a long struggle at times, but I love this place now."

"It's very calming. There's a natural vibe about this house."

"I've always thought that," Sookie told her. It was part of the reason I'd thought it was such a good idea for us both to live in this house. I knew that Sookie had always considered it her home, and probably wouldn't feel the same about anywhere else. "So, how did you two meet?" she asked, changing the subject back onto our guests.

Isabel smiled up at Daniel. "We met in a bar. I'd been at my sister's in Monroe and driving to Shreveport when my car started to make some horrific sounds. I was just passing this scary-ass looking bar, so I pulled into the parking lot amongst all the bikes. I swear there must have been about fifty of them that evening!" Daniel shook his head and smiled.

"Anyway," she continued. "I was convinced I was going to get killed or something, and I was just about to call my dad to come and get me when Daniel knocked on my window. He was in this black leather jacket with aviator shades on, so I couldn't see his eyes. I was so scared!"

"You're making me sound like a hardened criminal!"

"I thought you were! But anyway, he pulled off his shades and offered to look under the bonnet. I was too scared to deny him. He pretty much told me that my car was fucked, and that I should go inside with him."

"And did you?" Sookie asked.

"I tried not to, saying that I'd call my dad, but he smiled and was insistent. Long story short, we went inside the bar and started talking. I soon realised that my initial assessment of him may have been a little wrong, and by the end of the night I'd completely forgotten about my car and we'd arranged a date. I guess it spiralled from there." She gazed up at him.

They carried on talking while I carried on preparing our meal in the kitchen. I checked in often, pleased to see that Sookie and Isabel seemed to be getting along well and that the evening was going better than I had anticipated it would.

Or at least that was until both Sookie and Isabel yelled for me.

Sookie was sitting on the sofa looking a little stunned with a telltale wetness between her legs. I could feel the blood draining from my face, and I felt a little weak.

Her waters had broken.

Sookie and I stared at each other for a moment, neither really knowing what to do. Luckily for both of us, it was Isabel and Daniel that kicked us in the right direction.

"You have your bag already packed for the hospital?" we were asked.

"Yes, it's in the hallway," I answered. I turned and looked at Isabel, feeling completely dumbfounded.

"Well go and put it in the car. Sookie's going into labour; you're going to be a dad!"

That just made me smile, and I gave my wife a kiss before doing as Isabel told me to. I ran around like a blue-ass fly, turning off the oven and making sure that the house was suitably locked up before I helped a scared Sookie into passenger seat of my BMW where I'd already put some lining down to stop any leakage into the seats. Sookie was already traumatised that she'd ruined the sofa, so I didn't want her to worry about the car as well.

Isabel was being hugely supportive to Sookie while I closed up the house.

"Let me know how things go," she said to Sookie, squeezing her hand. "Look after her," she said to me, before pulling me into a hug. I shook hands with Daniel briefly before climbing into the driver's side of the car.

"This is really happening," she commented.

"I know." I took her hand across the centre console.

"We should have given the pie to Isabel."

I laughed at her, amused that she was more concerned about her pie than her pending childbirth. "It doesn't matter. They're not going to starve."

We both talked excitedly as we drove to the hospital. I tried to distract Sookie as much as possible and distract her from the contractions she was starting to have. I was scared myself, but I was determined to stay calm at least until we were inside the hospital. Then, I'd allow myself to freak out.

Once we were at the hospital, she was taken immediately to the maternity ward and hooked up to various pieces of machinery. While she was being examined, I took the opportunity to call Pam to let her know, as well as Amelia in New York, who I knew would want to come down as soon as possible.

I had to admit that it was some of the longest hours of my life as I waited for the moment to arrive when Sookie would give birth. I was so scared, and I hated seeing her in pain.

But after all that … when I finally got to see my son and daughter … I was the happiest man alive.

Sookie was exhausted and emotional after giving birth first to our son James and then our daughter Abigail twenty minutes later. I was so proud of her, and I held her in my arms, gently stroking her hair and telling her repeatedly how grateful I was to her and how much I loved her as we laid with our children.

Abigail and James were both perfect. Each had ten tiny toes and ten tiny fingers, and both already had good lungs on them considering the way they were screaming.

"Can we put them back?" I joked.

"Not a chance. _Nothing_ is ever going in there again." I got the point she was making.

"I don't think you mean that."

"Oh, believe me, Eric, I mean it. If that thing comes within a yard of my hoo-ha, it's getting chopped off."

I joking recoiling from her, but hoped at the same time that she was just playing with me. Strangely, I had a feeling that she wasn't.

But aside from the threats of castration, all was well. Despite Sookie being a month early, she was able to go home with the babies two nights after giving birth, and that's when our lives really turned on their heads.

It was tough work, I had to admit that, and we both got a little cranky from lack of sleep, but it was so worth it and I fell more and more in love with all three of them every day.

* * *

><p><strong>.<strong>

**Okay, so I'm leaving it there where all is good in the world, and we all know that Sookie can't really resist the GP!**

**I felt the need to give Isabel a happy ending as well, and for anyone that's interested, I borrowed Daniel Kane from The Big Bad Wolf Romances (The Heat, The Strip, The Spell & The Hunt) by Heather Killough-Walden. Kane is a werewolf cop and very hot, and the books are full of sexy wolves and their strong female companions. Worth a read for anyone with a Kindle, and not too expensive. I've read all four in 10 days! **

**Anyway, thanks again to everyone who has taken the time to read this – I'm going to have a little time off as my exam is in less than three weeks, and right now I feel like I know nothing!**

**;)**


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